


Things you don't need a university degree to see

by madlysanecatlady



Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Developing Relationship, M/M, Nygmobblepot, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-05
Updated: 2017-09-15
Packaged: 2018-11-23 13:54:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 24,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11403786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madlysanecatlady/pseuds/madlysanecatlady
Summary: A building AU story about Ed and Oswald meeting in college and the trials and tribulations that lead to them getting together. They're still themselves, maybe less openly criminal and psychotic, but they're them.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hopefully updates stay pretty frequent and regular, but I know me - some times I might fall a bit behind.

** Chapter 1 **

 

Well. That could be problematic. Oswald sighed and gripped the wobbling stack of books in his arm more tightly, knowing they’d wobble even more fiercely as he tried to support himself up the stairs towards his dorm room with the umbrella in his other hand. He mentally kicked himself for taking more books than his bag could hold, especially such a number of thick, heavy ones. He would be lucky to get them all up the stairs without any mishaps and he knew it. He resolved to never do anything like this to himself again, knowing he’d just go ahead and do it again the next time a particularly interesting research paper rolled around.

‘Do you need some help, Mr. Penguin?’ a quiet voice asked behind him, causing Oswald to whip his head around, cracking his neck slightly, to find his tall and reedy roommate, Ed, standing next to him on the bottom step watching him with concern. Oswald cursed mentally; obviously, the young man had that cat-like ability to sneak up on people. Ed continued to watch him expectantly as he said nothing, clearly wondering what was going on inside Oswald’s mind. ‘I wouldn’t want you to fall and hurt yourself,’ he prompted, clearly expecting an answer from the shocked little man next to him.

‘No, no, I’m fine,’ Oswald shook his head when he finally recovered enough from his surprise. He tried to take the next step shakily, leaning heavily on his umbrella while still trying to keep all the books balanced between one arm and his chin. Of course, his bad leg had other plans and threatened to give, causing him to stumble, dropping the books in a heavy smash onto the steps and just barely keeping himself from crashing down on top of them.

Ed bent immediately to pick them up, Oswald was jealous of the smooth grace with which Ed moved. Even before his leg injury Oswald’s movements had always been slightly jerky and erratic – the mark of a clumsy boy grown into an even clumsier man. Oswald had never been so disillusioned as to believe his mother when she told him he was the most lithe and graceful boy she had ever seen; he knew she was simply blinded by love. It was something he had learned to live with, but certainly not something he was particularly proud of. And here he was, confronted with a man who was clearly part swan, rubbing his superior grace in his face.

Ed picked up the last book and straightened with a smile, oblivious to Oswald’s fuming scrutiny. ‘I’ve got these, don’t worry about them,’ he said, his voice still very quiet. ‘You just worry about getting up the stairs in one piece.’

‘I’m not an invalid you know!’ Oswald huffed before turning to his now admittedly easier ascent towards the dormitories. He _hated_ it when people tried to help him like this, pitying him and his leg, disrespecting him, even though he _owned_ this campus. It made Oswald feel even smaller than he already was.

‘I would never dream of implying such a thing,’ Ed shook his head before hurrying ahead to pull open the door for Oswald, ushering him in before him. ‘I just want to do what I can to help make your life a little easier. I mean, you’re certainly entitled to it; you’re the king around here, aren’t you?’

Oswald felt his cheeks begin to go pink at that statement coupled with the respect and awe he saw openly on Ed’s face. He just seemed so unguardedly _earnest_. Oswald wasn’t quite certain what to make of him. People respected him, were in awe of him, were helpful to him all the time and yet, Ed was different and Oswald couldn’t quite put his finger on how.  Oswald had not encountered much kindness in his twenty-four years of life, and was not so sure how to recognise it – and yet, he felt, somewhere in the pit of his stomach that he was staring right at it. But even realising that, he wasn’t sure how to respond properly, opting instead to just wonder why he was being so kind. ‘Yes, well, you’ve never really struck me as the type to have any respect for things like public opinion; particularly not the opinions of any of _these_ people.’

‘Oh, but I respect _you_ immensely, Mr. Penguin,’ Ed said quickly. ‘I could not care less about these lowly people’s opinions if I tried. But you – you’ve earned all this respect and your place at the top of the public court and that is remarkable in a place where people typically buy it for themselves, be it through money or looks. But you’ve done it all on talent and hard work alone. That in itself makes you exceptional. I could learn much from you, sir.’

‘So what exactly do you want from me?’ Oswald asked warily as Ed opened the door to their dorm room for them and ushered him inside before him. Oswald was used to flattery around here – he ran quite the empire in the university, collecting and selling test answers, papers people didn’t want to write, and had even begun to dabble a little in grade manipulations for students with the less observant professors. On top of, of course, helping people scare or send messages to people they wanted out of their lives, and being particularly known for supplying all any fraternity or sorority needed for an incredible party. People respected him for certain, but none of them _liked_ him. If ever someone was being overly kind to him, Oswald knew to assume they wanted something, and they usually wanted it rather badly.

‘What do I want from you?’ Ed put the stack of books down on Oswald’s desk and regarded him closely for a moment before answering quickly. ‘What I want from you the poor have, the rich need, and if you eat it, you die.’ He reached out to take the bag from Oswald’s shoulder, depositing it gently onto his desk as well.

Oswald stared at him, his mouth hanging open, completely thrown. ‘I’m sorry, are you asking me a riddle?’ He had never paid too much attention to his roommate, and now he was beginning to see why – he was confusing to say the least.

‘Do you like riddles?’ Ed’s face looked like that of a small child seeking validation from a particularly aloof parent or older sibling. Oswald briefly felt a flare of affection for him, wondering if he were just a lonely young man looking for a friend. He quashed that feeling very quickly – Oswald had learned long ago that no one became _his_ friend without ulterior motive.

‘No, I don’t,’ Oswald’s reply came out more harshly than intended. He grimaced. ‘I mean, not really – I just find them a bit frustrating to be honest. They usually get me a bit stumped rather fast.’

‘Oh, I think they’re just wonderful,’ Ed seemed completely unperturbed by the harsh tone that had bothered Oswald so much. He wondered if that tone were something Ed encountered often; _he_ was certainly no stranger to it. ‘It’s not so difficult if you think of it like a puzzle with its different pieces. Together, they make a big picture. The harder ones even have smaller riddles inside them that you need to solve before you can solve it as a whole. But this one’s simple! Do you give up?’

Oswald now really had no idea what to make of his oddball roommate. They had rarely spoken up until this point, what with Ed seeming to favour early morning classes and Oswald picking the latest class times possible. He often opted to do the majority of his work by dim lamplight in the dead of night. He thought best at night; it was quiet with few distractions and no annoying chatter in the hallways. Of course, the fact that he had _never_ been much a morning person certainly didn’t hurt either. He noticed that Ed was staring at him expectantly, clearly expecting an answer. He sighed. He couldn’t even remember what the dumb riddle was, let alone figure out the answer to it. ‘I guess so, I give up.’

‘Nothing!’ Ed sounded positively gleeful. ‘The answer is nothing. The poor have it, the rich need it and if you eat it you –’

‘Listen friend,’ Oswald interrupted, beginning to get irritated by the unexpected socialisation in his supposed-to-be-quite afternoon.

‘Ed,’ Ed corrected immediately, not even looking remotely bothered at being interrupted or even by the clipped tone Oswald had employed.

‘Listen _friend_ ,’ Oswald repeated, not allowing himself to get sucked in by the hopeful expression on Ed’s face. He knew better than that; people used their emotions to manipulate other people all the time. Oswald was above that sort of thing. ‘Thank you for your unrequested help with those books. But now I’d really like to get started on that paper I got them all for. So I really don’t have time for silly riddles.’

‘Are you behind on that paper? Oh, you must be,’ Ed looked at him curiously. ‘I can help you if you’d like. I know you don’t need it, but help should always be a welcome friend to all.’

‘I’m not behind at all, I’m starting early, what are you even talking about?’ Oswald frowned at him. He had no idea where the riddle-loving weirdo had even gotten that notion into his head, and even less of an idea into why he cared at all what he thought. It wasn’t like anyone respected Oswald for his book smarts – he shouldn’t care at all how behind Ed thought he was… regardless of why he even thought he was.

‘Oh, it’s just that usually you do all your work very late at night and only work in the afternoons when you’ve fallen behind on something,’ Ed shrugged. ‘I just figured it would be odd for you to be hoarding all these books at once and then working at two in the afternoon, especially not on the one day you have no classes to get to. Normally you’d just catch up on sleep.’

Oswald was nonplussed. It seemed that his roommate had been paying very close attention to his daily habits. That was a bit… disconcerting. Here he was, knowing nothing about Ed, but Ed seemed to know his daily schedule off by heart. He wondered if this was what it was like to have a stalker.

Ed seemed to notice the change in Oswald’s demeanor and visibly deflated, his face falling into a sad-looking frown. ‘Sorry. Did I say something wrong?’

Oswald blinked a few times, feeling uncomfortable under Ed’s own unblinking gaze. ‘It’s just… well, I really didn’t think you paid that much attention to my habits, to be honest. I always figured you were asleep or something.’

‘I don’t sleep much,’ Ed shrugged. ‘But aren’t those the things that friends generally know about each other? Their habits and when they need help?’

Oswald had passed from confusion straight into shock. He really didn’t know what to say to that. For all his experience with people pretending to be his friend for personal gain, he had _never_ heard someone say it with such sincerity before. He opened and closed his mouth uselessly a few times, unable to get any words out, before opting to instead turn towards his desk.

‘Did I say something wrong again?’ Ed asked quietly. Oswald’s head whipped around at the sound of intense dejection in his voice.

‘No, no,’ Oswald said slowly, wondering at the way Ed’s face lit up at his words. ‘It’s really just… you think of me as… a friend?’ the word felt odd on Oswald’s tongue when used with sincerity. He had never met anyone he considered to be his friend before, and had certainly never met anyone who thought of _him_ as a friend. It was strange to say the least.

‘ _Of course_ I do. Don’t you… Don’t you think so too?’ Ed frowned. Oswald felt his chest tighten oddly at the hurt expression taking over Ed’s face. He didn’t understand what it was about Ed that made him want to keep that look of pain off Ed’s face, to replace it with his bright smile instead. It was odd to him for certain; he had never met a person other than his mother and father he yearned to make happy before.

‘I’ve just ever really, uh,’ Oswald was unsure about how he had planned on finishing that sentence. He sighed. ‘Look Ed, I just really want to get started on my paper.’

Ed nodded, looking pleased by Oswald’s use of his name, and made his way over to his own desk where his pile of chemistry and physics books was beginning to border on precarious. He pulled a human anatomy text book from the second, definitely precarious pile of books. With that in hand, he settled into his chair to begin work on the first of his many lab reports for the day.

Oswald opened his own book and did his best to concentrate on his research, but could not seem to stop his attention from shifting behind him to the hunched figure poring over his lab notes. Oswald couldn’t seem to help but smile; he had never had a friend before, but he certainly thought he might be able to get used to having one.


	2. Chapter 2

** Chapter 2 **

 

Oswald couldn’t help but smile to himself as the professor of his modern history class ended his lecture on gangsters of the early twentieth century with a story about Al Capone. Capone was a favourite of his; a strong and ruthless, unstoppable force controlling the entire city – how could he not be Oswald’s favourite when he was everything he strived to be? He knew this would be enough to put him in a good mood for finishing up his paper later that evening.

When the class was finished, he packed away his notebook in his bag and shouldered it before heading out of the classroom, leaning heavily on his umbrella for support. It must be raining again, he thought with an internal sigh. His leg _always_ acted up when it rained.

‘Hey! Penguin!’ a voice called from behind him as he neared the end of the hallway. Oswald turned around to see Jim Gordon, with whom he shared his criminal history class, racing to catch up with him.

‘Jim, old friend, what can I do for you?’ Oswald asked with a smile, wondering just what the beefy young man could want from him this time. He knew Jim never spoke to him unless he needed something, and needed it desperately.

‘I’ve got a test with Strange on Friday… I need some _help_ ,’ Jim looked desperate indeed. ‘Psychology is _really_ not my strong suit – I’m totally lost!’

‘Why are you even taking his class then?’ Oswald rolled his eyes. ‘Just drop it.’

‘Ugh, I _can’t_ , it’s the prerequisite for Peabody’s criminal psych class next semester,’ Jim grimaced. ‘I hear she’s a great prof and you learn a lot from her, it’s just Strange who’s impossible. His tests are so _hard_. _Please_ , Penguin. I’m begging you here.’

‘Strange is difficult, I’ve never tried him before,’ Oswald said after a moment’s hesitation. ‘I’ll need to charge triple for the risks; I hear he’s scrupulous. Six hundred. An extra hundred if you want them today, though, it’ll take some serious work.’

‘Sure, sure, whatever,’ Jim nodded quickly. ‘I’ll pay anything. I _need_ to pass this test if I ever want a prayer of getting through this semester.’

‘Have you ever thought of actually learning something, my old friend? That would certainly get you through this test,’ Oswald chuckled. ‘I’ll have Butch drop them off later. It’s been a pleasure, as always, doing business with you, Jim.’

Jim nodded at him and turned away; Oswald frowned at his retreating back. He could hardly believe there had been a time last semester when he had followed Jim around like a lost little puppy. Had he really been so desperate for any affection that he would stoop so low? Oswald straightened a bit, proud of himself for moving above all that. He no longer needed anyone’s approval. He was content to be his own man on his own terms. He could barely believe how far he had come. He was now at the head of an empire, just like Al Capone. Sure, he had started only dealing in test answers and minor grade manipulations, but it had quickly grown into an empire supplying students with whatever they needed, be it narcotic fixes or muscle for hire. And he was _good_ at it all. Oswald had never been good at anything before, despite what his mother kept on telling him. She had always believed in him, even when he didn’t believe in himself, and now he knew she had been right all along. He had finally found the area in which he shined. He couldn’t ask for more.

Although. _Although_. Oswald heaved a heavy sigh. It _did_ get a bit lonely at the top every now and again. He had an empire, certainly. And he was king. He had everything he could have asked for. And yet… he really had no one to share it with, no one to appreciate it with him. His mother didn’t understand, and he wasn’t sure he really wanted her to. He was her little baby boy, she did not need to know the bad things her son did in order to turn a profit and get some power around campus. Really, he thought, it did not seem so stupid to be yearning for friendship after all.

‘Daydreaming, Mr. Penguin?’ Ed’s voice startled him straight out of his thoughts and back to reality with a small jump. Ed reached out to balance him back onto his good leg. ‘Very sorry, sir, I didn’t mean to scare you.’

‘Oh, not at all Ed, don’t worry about it,’ Oswald smiled, actually very happy to see the dorky weirdo, as odd as it seemed to him. ‘You didn’t startle me, really, I’ve just got a daunting task ahead of me is all.’

‘Ah, right, Dr. Stange’s test answers,’ Ed said quietly, smirking at the look of shock that appeared on Oswald’s face. ‘Yes, I heard you and the Neanderthal talking just now. It just so happens I might be able to be of assistance to you in your little deal.’

‘What? How?’ Oswald was thrown for a loop. What could bookish nerd Ed Nygma do for Oswald and his empire?

‘Dr. Strange doesn’t keep answer keys to his tests like most of the other professors do,’ Ed explained. ‘They’re always short and long answer tests and he grades as he goes with no guide. You would need to get your hands on a copy of the questions and then have someone answer them correctly in a way that sounds like that imbecile wrote them. He can just memorise it and regurgitate it on the test day, provided he’s able to do so much.’

‘Alright,’ Oswald was still trying to figure out just how he was going to pull all this off. ‘And just how do you expect me to get all those questions answered correctly? I’ve never taken a psychology class in my life! I wouldn’t know where to begin any more than Jim.’

‘That’s where my help comes in,’ Ed grinned, a maniacal gleam in his eye. ‘I’ve taken that class before, for one. And for two, well, I _am_ slightly smarter than your average student…’

‘OK, I see now, so all I need to do is get the test then?’ Oswald was beginning to feel a smile playing at his lips as the plan was beginning to actually formulate and come together. ‘You’re _sure_ you’ll be able to answer it all right?’

‘Mr. Penguin,’ Ed looked genuinely insulted by the question. ‘Just what do you take me for?’

‘A genius, I guess,’ Oswald laughed nervously. If Ed was as smart as everyone on campus seemed to think he was, Oswald had no doubt he would get the answers right. He was glad that Ed had happened to overhear his conversation with Jim. ‘OK, so I’ll get the goods and you can, well, you can help me later.

Ed smiled and nodded. ‘I’ll see you later back at home.’

Oswald watched him go, barely realising he was grinning. It seemed to him that Ed _wasn’t_ the goody-goody rule-following straight-A genius he had thought him to be, but was instead a genius willing to bend the rules a little bit. That could definitely come in useful to Oswald. Perhaps having him as a friend was not so bad an idea after all.

He pulled himself back from his thoughts. Ed was no use to him if he couldn’t get the test questions. He sighed. It looked like he might be needing a little more help on this one.

 

-

 

‘Well, well, if it isn’t my favourite little birdie,’ Barbara Kean, Jim’s on-again, off-again girlfriend drawled as Oswald hobbled his way into the campus bar where she worked. ‘And _what_ can I do for you today, little cutie?’

‘You’re in Strange’s class right?’ Oswald asked without preamble, opting to not comment on the way she talked down to him. Barbara had her own way of dealing with people, he figured it best to not try and work against that, especially not when he needed a favour. ‘I need your help with something, and that means you going to see him.’

‘More test answers?’ Barbara simpered, a manic gleam in her eye. ‘Hate to break it to ya, baby blue eyes, but Strange doesn’t even _use_ answer keys, so there’s nothing to steal to cheat from. That’s why barely anyone passes his tests without busting their asses off _actually_ studying.’

‘I’m not after an answer key,’ Oswald smiled. ‘I just want the questions.’

‘Oooh, a bold strategy,’ Barbara giggled. ‘I think I can help you, then. Tabs and I have got a meeting with him later today to go over our paper outline anyways. We can do some careful snooping for you.’

‘Oh perfect, I’ll be sure to get you a cut of the profits.’

‘Oh, no no no no, little pretty,’ Barbara shook her head. ‘I don’t need your money. This is for Jim, right? Only he’d be _this_ desperate for a Strange test. No, I don’t need the money, I just want you to let Jim know all I did to help him out.’

‘Alright then,’ Oswald said after a beat, completely perplexed. ‘Thank you, Barbara.’

‘Oh _please_ , it’s Babs to you, cutie pie,’ Barbara smiled at him. ‘I’ll text you later when I’ve got your little package ready for you. But remember, tell Jim how I helped.’

‘I will,’ Oswald nodded, still not quite understanding just why she was so desperate for Jim Gordon’s approval. ‘Thank you and good luck.’

‘Oh pish, I don’t need luck baby,’ Barbara laughed. ‘That’s the beauty of being me.’

Oswald left the bar, completely unsure of what to think, as he usually was every time he spoke to Barbara. She was an odd one for certain, but be couldn’t deny she had the confidence and style to pull off her particular brand of crazy. Barbara was Barbara, and she’d never let anyone tell her to be any different. Oswald was frankly a little jealous of her – he only wished he could reach that level of confidence himself. He wondered if it would come to him as his empire expanded. He bet Capone himself had started out a little unsure of himself as well. Yes, he smiled to himself. He would get there some day; he just needed to keep working at it.

He looked out the window at the falling rain and his eyes fell on a tall and slim figure standing out in the steady stream of thick droplets. Oswald frowned. _What was Ed doing just standing out in the rain_? That seemed to Oswald to be the perfect way to wind up with a nasty cold at best. With a roll of his eyes, he made he way to the door and popped open his umbrella, hobbling his way over to Ed’s tall figure through the rain.

Ed looked up from the patch of ground he had been intently staring at when he felt the water stop hitting the back of his neck. ‘Mr. Penguin? What are you doing here?’

‘Why are you just out here standing in the rain?’ Oswald countered quietly. ‘You’ll catch your death out here. It’s _freezing_.’

‘I’ve just been doing some thinking,’ Ed answered after a moment. ‘The biology department, well, specifically the botany enthusiasts, have been thinking about planting some flowers on campus to “make it more beautiful”. I think this would be a lovely spot for a pop of brightly coloured flowers, don’t you, Mr. Penguin?’

‘And you just had to stop out in the rain to think about it?’ Oswald tutted, moving closer to ensure the umbrella was adequately shielding them both. ‘That’s not as smart as I’ve come to expect from you.’

‘I was mapping it out for myself, I needed the visual of the space,’ Ed explained. ‘It’s best to have the plans all laid out before you go about building anything, isn’t it? I’m just not sure what flowers I would plant yet.’

‘Well, that’s something you can maybe think about _inside_ ,’ Oswald rolled his eyes. ‘ _Before_ you go and catch pneumonia.’

‘It’s very nice to know you care, Mr. Penguin,’ Ed said quietly, allowing himself to be led towards the dormitories by a stern Oswald. ‘Oh, I see, you still need me to answer those questions for you. Don’t worry about that, Mr. Penguin, I can still answer those, even with pneumonia.’

‘That’s not the point!’ Oswald huffed. ‘You’re going to get yourself sick, I don’t want that, test answers or no!’

Ed smiled serenely as they neared the stairs leading into the building. He eyed Oswald carefully as he struggled on the first step without his umbrella to help support him. ‘No one will know,’ he muttered, moving one arm around Oswald to help support him up the stairs. ‘As replacement for your umbrella,’ he added with slightly more volume, catching sight of Oswald’s puzzled expression. ‘We wouldn’t want you to slip and fall because you’re using your umbrella to shield me from the rain.’

‘Unnecessary,’ Oswald sighed heavily. Yet, before he knew it, he was smiling up at Ed. ‘But appreciated all the same,’ he added finally. He couldn’t help but let his smile grow when he caught sight of the happiness erupting in Ed’s eyes. He felt a strong surge of affection for the tall, reedy man who always seemed so keen and ready to help him, and with no apparent end goal other than having Oswald as a friend. Oswald smiled to himself some more; it seemed friendship, at least Ed’s friendship, was definitely something worth pursuing after all.

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

** Chapter 3 **

 

Oswald was feeling under the weather. His chest hurt, his head hurt, he felt weirdly woozy, and he coughed heavily as he made his way towards his only class of the day – Political Philosophy 101. He had only just entered the building and begun limping his way over to the class when Barbara caught up to him, looking unusually sombre.

‘The Dean’s looking for you,’ she told him. ‘He looked pretty serious, too… well, you know, more serious than usual for him. You should go see him; it looked important.’

Oswald nodded at her. He was rather fond of the exuberant blonde, despite her rather annoying habit of adopting a baby-talk voice with him, one he was thankful she seemed to have abandoned in the interest of seriousness. She was fickle and crazy for certain, but she was also capable of great kindness and sweetness when she felt like it. And, at least to Oswald, it seemed like she was rather fond of him as well. He had a certain fondness for people who liked him. ‘Thank you, Barbara.’

‘Honey, I might stop liking you if you don’t start calling me Babs,’ Barbara rolled her eyes. ‘Barbara’s my mother. It’s a long line of Barbaras all along my mother’s family. It’s tradition, y’see.’

‘Oh, so do you not like your mother?’ Oswald was puzzled. He had thought it was a basic instinct for people to love and cherish their mothers as he did. He had never really met anyone who disliked their mother, and frankly, he wasn’t sure how he would feel about them.

‘She’s alright,’ Barbara shrugged. ‘I mean, she’s a mom. She’s way too hard on me most of the time, you know, making me be her perfect little rich bitch, all prim and proper, oh if she only knew what her little girl got up to,’ she gave a little giggle. ‘She’s fine. But the name just feels _old_ , y’know? I’m so young and fun it seems stupid to call me _Barbara_. Babs fits me better.’

Oswald nodded. He could see that. ‘Well, thank you then… Babs.’

‘Good luck, pretty little birdie,’ Barbara called after him as he began to make his way towards the Dean’s office instead of his class. ‘I hope it’s all OK!’

Oswald smiled. Barbara was indeed capable of great kindness to the people she held a certain regard for. Oswald resolved to stay in her good graces; he wasn’t so sure he wanted to see just what she might do to the people she decided she disliked.

He made his way over to the Dean’s office and let himself in cautiously, smiling tentatively at the receptionist. ‘Um, I was told that the Dean wanted to see me?’

‘Oh, Mr. Cobblepot? Yes, he wanted to see you very urgently. Please go right on in,’ she smiled and ushered him into the office.

Dean Barnes was a true beast of a man; tall and beefy, strict and immovable, but still a very fair man. Oswald had not had very much to do with Barnes _(thankfully)_ but Oswald had heard many things about him, particularly from Jim. Jim seemed to have an odd love-hate relationship with the Dean.

‘Have a seat, Mr. Cobblepot,’ Barnes looked up from his emails when he heard the receptionist ushering Oswald in. ‘How are you doing, son?’

‘Fine sir,’ Oswald squeaked, feeling himself shrink under Barnes’ close gaze. He was an intimidating man to say the least. ‘What can I do for you? Barbara said you were looking for me?’

‘Well, son, I wish I could tell you I asked you here to give you good news, but it’s really not,’ Barnes heaved a heavy sigh. ‘See, I’m sorry to tell you this, but we’ve received call from the city, and well, it’s your mother, son… she took rather ill recently and apparently didn’t want to bother you while you were at school, but she, uh, passed rather suddenly…’

The rest of Barnes’ words, whatever they were, were completely drowned out by the mad rushing in Oswald’s ears, made worse by the intense pounding that had started up in his head. He looked at Barnes but could barely see, so he blinked hard, causing spots to appear in what line of sight that actioned regained him. His breathing felt too shallow and forced, his mouth felt dry and itchy, his hands and feet were numb. He felt as if the entire world had dropped out from underneath him in an instant, leaving him suspended and weightless, like one of those cartoons where the character runs out off a cliff and realises they’re falling. He blinked hard again and Barnes came more into focus behind the spots this time.

‘Son? Can you hear me?’ Barnes looked concerned. ‘I’ve called your roommate to escort you back to your room,’ he said slowly and clearly. ‘You just let us know if there’s anything we can do to help, too. I know this can’t be easy for you, especially not with what happened to your father and step-family last thanksgiving…’

‘Th-thank you, sir,’ Oswald was finally able to manage after a few deep, painful breaths. ‘I’ll just… I’ll just go back to my room now.’

‘Your roommate should be waiting for you by now,’ Barnes gave him a tentative smile. ‘He’ll get you back safe and sound. He sounded very concerned; I’m sure he’ll do what he can to help. I know there isn’t much he or any of us can do, but friends do try their hardest I’m sure.’

Oswald merely nodded absently, willing his legs, especially the weak and mangled one, to not give out on him and support him to the door. He wrenched it open, barely able to feel his arm moving, and came face to face with a very worried-looking Ed.

‘Oh, Mr. Penguin, I’m so, _so_ sorry,’ Ed said quietly, long fingers closing tightly around Oswald’s wrist, gently leading him towards the door. ‘You must be in terrible shock right now. Let’s get you back home so you can have some quiet and I’ll make some tea. Anything I can do to help, sir, just say the word and I’ll do it.’ He led them quickly outside, not altogether seeming to notice that Oswald was struggling to keep up.

‘Ed, could you please just _slow down_?’ Oswald’s breathing felt laboured, each breath not bringing in nearly enough air for him. He looked up to the sky, the sun peeking out through the light and puffy white clouds scattered around the sky, a total affront to his current grief. The world was too bright and cheerful today. He needed it to all calm down a little, darken up, show some damn respect for his mother.

_His mother_. Oswald’s chest tightened further. His mother was dead. She was dead without even telling him she was sick because he was so selfish he left her all alone in the city to come to school and further his own interests. What kind of terrible son wasn’t there for his mother to help her get better, to make sure she didn’t just die, scared and all alone? What kind of monster was he?

His mother couldn’t be dead. He refused to believe it. She couldn’t have left him. He couldn’t have missed out on his chance to tell her just how much he loved her one more time. _No_. Not his mother. He couldn’t bear to lose her too, not so soon after his father’s passing. The world was spinning beneath him. He felt his legs threatening to give out underneath him, not strong enough to support him all the way back to the room. He felt sick and unstable. His breathing was wrong – barely there and painful. He couldn’t concentrate. He couldn’t hear. He could barely see. He barely registered Ed next to him, looking down at him with concern, reaching out a strong arm to help support him. It felt odd, like he was outside his body. He couldn’t feel _anything_. His vision started to blur more violently, going completely black around the edges. He barely registered Ed’s panicked exclamation as everything went black. The last thing he felt was himself crumple, with a pair of strong arms doing their best to hold him up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm fudging the timelines of parents here I know, but hey - that's just my prerogative. ;)


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Y'all wanted care, y'all can have it! :)

** Chapter 4 **

 

Oswald felt warm. There were vague aches and pains beginning to surface in his body, a pounding still resounding in his head, yet he felt warm and comfortable all the same, as though he were safely cocooned away from the world and all its terrible tragedies. He registered something cool and damp pressing against his forehead before he was able to regain control of his eyes and open them.

‘Good morning Mr. Penguin,’ Ed’s face was rather closer to his own than anticipated, Oswald felt himself recoil into his pillow in shock. ‘Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. I seem to do that a lot. Do you feel a bit more lucid yet? You had me very worried for a bit.’

‘What happened?’ Oswald tried to sit up, slapping away all of Ed’s attempts at helping him. ‘How’d I get here? I was in the Dean’s office and then…’he broke off, choking back a sob at the thought of his mother.

‘Dead Barnes called me and asked for me to come to his office to escort you back here, he figured you might need a friend,’ Ed explained calmly, placing the cool cloth he’d been pressing to Oswald’s head on the bedside table. ‘And it was fortunate he did call me – you collapsed not too far outside. You’ve let yourself get quite sick, Mr. Penguin, and all this stress certainly didn’t help. You have pneumonia. For all your concern about me, it was you who wound up catching it.’

‘W-what?’ Oswald could not fathom how he would have gotten so sick. _He_ certainly didn’t make a habit of standing out in the rain.

‘I’ve got you some antibiotics here,’ Ed indicated the full pill bottle on Oswald’s nightstand. Oswald noted the distinct lack of label on them. ‘And I’ll get you some water. We can’t have you dehydrating from fever.’

‘You’re just a med student, right? How did you get this?’ Oswald broke off, looking down at himself. ‘Where are my clothes?’ He asked, noticing that he was in a pair of large pajamas.

‘Oh, I’ve got them in the laundry,’ Ed told him airily. ‘I figured you might be more comfortable in pajamas.’ He returned with a large glass of water and handed it over. ‘Drink up, my feathered friend. And please be sure to take one of those antibiotics.’

‘How did you get these?’ Oswald repeated, fumbling with the pill bottle.

‘Oh the pharmacy stores are depressingly simple to break into,’ Ed rolled his eyes. He noticed Oswald’s struggle and reached out to pop the bottle open, shaking a single large pill into Oswald’s palm. ‘I figured you probably would not be wanting to deal with the stress of going to a doctor on top of everything, so I took it upon myself to get you a “prescription”.’

‘Uh, thank you, I guess?’ Oswald was taken aback. Sure, he’d seen Ed help him help others cheat on tests and such, but he’d never pictured the man breaking into a pharmacy and stealing _prescription medication_. It certainly seemed like there was more to Ed than met the eye at first glance. Perhaps they were more alike than Oswald had ever thought.

‘Anything, anytime, Mr. Penguin,’ Ed smiled and took the now-empty glass from Oswald. ‘More water? I’ll get you some more water, it’ll do you some good. Or maybe some tea? Tea might do you some good, Mr. Penguin.’

‘Oswald,’ Oswald called after him, causing Ed to turn around and look at him, confused. ‘Call me Oswald,’ he clarified.

Ed smiled and went to fill the glass of water. Oswald watched him with a mixture of awe and genuine curiosity. He supposed he had never really put too much effort into getting to know his roommate, always being so caught up in himself and his own life. He was shocked to find that they were not so different after all. Oswald paused and thought about it for a moment. It seemed perhaps this was what the beginning of a friendship looked like. He watched Ed fuss about with the kettle and a canister of teabags and could not contain his smile. Ed was doing all of this for _him_. Oswald could barely believe someone who wasn’t his mother or his father cared enough to even do half of what Ed had just done for him.

‘Ed?’ Oswald called out weakly as Ed reached for the honey in the small cupboard they had.

‘Yes, Mr. Penguin, sorry, Oswald,’ Ed corrected himself, looking over. ‘What can I do for you? What do you need?’

‘I just want to say… thank you, from the bottom of my heart,’ Oswald told him quietly, his voice feeling raspy in his throat. ‘I don’t know how to repay your kindness.’

‘This what friends are for, isn’t it?’ Ed looked puzzled. ‘You’re sick. You’re going through a terrible time right now. I would expect anyone to need a little care from a friend, wouldn’t you?’

‘I’m just so very grateful,’ Oswald broke off roughly with a fit of hacking coughs.

‘Oh! I have syrup right here for you too,’ Ed rummaged around in a large paper sack and resurfaced with a small dark brown bottle and grabbed a spoon from the drawer in their tiny kitchenette. ‘I’m sure it tastes terrible, but hopefully it can provide you some relief from the coughing.’ He poured a generous helping of the sticky syrup into the large spoon and fed it to Oswald.

It did taste terrible. Oswald grimaced as he gave a hard swallow. It burned a little too on its way down, but he supposed that simply meant it would work well. _No pain, no gain_ , as the old adage went. ‘Thank you, Ed,’ he said sincerely, moving his tongue around his mouth to try and get the terrible taste out.

‘Here we are, a nice cup of hot tea, with some honey to soothe your throat,’ Ed handed over the steaming mug of tea over after stirring in a generous dollop of honey.

‘I can’t thank you enough for all you’re doing for me,’ Oswald sipped at the tea. He felt a pang as the taste hit his tongue; it was very strongly reminiscent of the way his mother used to make tea for sore throats.

‘Anything, anytime, Oswald,’ Ed smiled serenely, moving towards Oswald and sitting on the edge of the bed to feel Oswald’s forehead with the back of his hand. ‘Hm, I should have gotten a thermometer too. You still feel feverish. Do you feel well enough to eat something? You’ll need to eat.’

‘I think I could,’ Oswald nodded, startling when Ed beamed and hopped lithely back to his feet to go back to the brown paper bag and pull out a thermos of what Oswald assumed was soup.

‘I stopped at the cafeteria on my way back,’ Ed explained, getting a bowl and pouring some soup into it. ‘Oh good, it’s still piping hot. Here we go,’ Ed brought the bowl carefully over and set it down on the bedside table. ‘You’ll need strength to fight off an infection. Will you be alright to eat it on your own?’

‘Yes,’ Oswald was slightly annoyed at the idea that Ed thought he was going to be rendered completely useless by such a little thing as pneumonia.

‘I don’t mean to imply you’re incapable,’ Ed told him quietly, as though he had read Oswald’s mind. ‘Much to the contrary; you’re far too capable to know when a little help might just do you some good. I do hope you know you can always count on me to do whatever I can to help you.

Oswald felt his breath hitch as he reached for the soup. Was he imagining it, or did he hear genuine care in Ed’s voice? It was the same tone his parents had often used with him when he was ill or hiding some sort of pain from them. He stared at the tall and thin genius, trying to get a good read on him, to try and see past the façade of kindness and into his true intention. Yet, as he stared, he found nothing but genuine care and kindness there. Oswald was completely thrown yet again. It seemed as though Ed truly did just want to help. Yet, for the life of him, Oswald could not fathom why.

‘Why are you being so kind to me?’ Oswald wondered aloud.

‘You could do with a little more kindness thrown your way,’ Ed said simply. He smiled. ‘Eat up. Let me know if there’s anything else I can do. I’ll just be reading.’

Oswald ate the soup, chicken and rice, his favourite by happy coincidence, silently watching Ed’s back as he hunched over his biology textbook, clearly deep in concentration. As he neared the bottom of the bowl, he wondered again just why Ed was being so kind. Clearly there wasn’t anything Oswald could give him that he wasn’t able to get for himself if he was fully capable of doing something like stealing prescription drugs. He suddenly felt a little silly for assuming Ed was nothing more than a bookish nerd, good for only answering tough test questions.

Oswald didn’t understand it in the slightest. No one had ever cared about him, really, other than his parents. Why did Ed seem to when Oswald had so little to give in return? Oswald couldn’t fathom why at all. And as he continued to look at Ed, still turned away from him and engrossed in his textbook, Oswald found that he wasn’t so sure he wanted to understand it. Why be so suspicious of what could be the first friend he would ever have? No, that would do him no good at all. Oswald resolved to be a bit kinder to Ed, already very grateful for all the kindness Ed had shown him.

Plopping the spoon into the now-empty bowl, Oswald threw off the covers and gasped in pain as a stabbing feeling shot through his shoulder.

‘Oh dear,’ Ed’s attention whipped right around and straight over to him. He was at Oswald’s side in an instant. ‘I’m afraid you pulled a muscle in your fall earlier, I may have made it worse by trying to catch you as well. Please, leave that bowl to me; you should stay in bed where it’s warm. It won’t do to have you walking about in the cold; you’ll only get sicker doing that.’

‘I can do it myself,’ Oswald huffed, swinging his legs out of the bed, doing his best to not visibly recoil from the cold of the floor under Ed’s careful watch. He stood shakily and attempted a step, wobbling dangerously on his trembling legs.

Ed reached out to steady him. ‘ _Please_ Oswald, I know you’re used to doing everything for yourself. It’s made you very strong and formidable. But _please_ , let me help you. Just this once, let someone take care of you.’

‘My mother used to take care of me! She was always there for me! And now she’s not! And now I have no one!’ Before Oswald knew what was happening, he was sobbing into Ed’s shoulder, completely broken down, crushed by the weight of the world toppling down on him without his mother to help him hold it up. He was lost and alone again in the world, all at once he was back to being a scared little boy who’d been so scared and lonely away from his mother’s hip. At least then he knew he only needed to last the duration of a school day before he could fall back into her comforting arms – now what comfort could he have?

He felt Ed pull him into a hug and he let himself sag into that warmth, yearning to feel at least a part of the love and safety he had always gotten in his mother’s arms. He was shocked into stillness when he realised he almost did. He felt Ed pull away slightly to look down at him, concerned.

‘Are you alright?’ Ed reached behind him for a tissue and did his best to dry Oswald’s tears.

‘I – I think so,’ Oswald sniffled, taking the tissue from Ed and wiped at his eyes. ‘Thank you, Ed. I really can’t say it enough.’

‘You don’t need to,’ Ed ushered him back to bed. Satisfied Oswald was adequately tucked in, he began tidying everything up.

‘No, Ed, really, I do,’ Oswald grudgingly felt better bundled into the warmth of his bed. ‘You’ve been so kind and caring to me, after I’ve been anything but to you. I don’t think I can ever thank you enough.’

Ed smiled, his eyes soft. ‘You getting better will be thanks enough.’

Oswald wasn’t sure how to respond to that. His mind was too fuzzy and tired to really make sense of Ed and his strange need to care for him. He found that he didn’t really need to understand it at the moment, he mostly just wanted to sleep.

‘Good, get some sleep, you’ll need it,’ Ed nodded as Oswald’s eyes drooped. ‘Don’t worry about a thing. I’ll take care of everything while you get better.’

Oswald didn’t respond, instead succumbing to sleep, not hearing Ed’s wish of sweet dreams as he drifted away from the pain for a while.


	5. Chapter 5

** Chapter 5 **

 

Oswald felt as though he had been asleep for days. The heaviness that had set into his head almost convinced him to close his eyes again, but the nagging of his bladder told him he’d need to get up at some point. And soon. With a whinging groan, he swung his legs out of bed and forced himself to sit up, doing his best to ignore the pounding in his brain.

He looked around. Ed was nowhere to be found. Oswald looked at the clock. 3PM. That was odd. Ed’s classes usually all ended before noon. Not that Oswald had been keeping track. Shrugging, he stood shakily and made his way out and to the communal bathroom to finally get his screaming bladder to just _shut up_. As he washed his hands, he caught sight of his face in the grimy mirror and frowned. He looked ghostly pale and sallow, his skin stretched taut against his bones. Dark circles had taken residence under his eyes, and his lips had become chapped and flaky. He looked a right mess. He splashed some cold water on his face to try and scare some colour back into him.

It really didn’t work. All he really managed was to turn his ghostly reflection into a wet, slightly annoyed-looking one. Oswald, defeated, hobbled his way back to his and Ed’s room, pausing again as he entered to wonder where Ed was. He had begun to rather enjoy the company, and really wasn’t pleased to find himself alone again. He spied a thermos on the corner of his desk with a note taped to it. Limping closer, Oswald could make out the single word, written in neat, looping writing. _Eat_. Rolling his eyes, Oswald unscrewed the cap and peered inside. Chicken and rice again. Oswald had the sneaking suspicion Ed had figured out it was his favourite. Smiling at the thought, he poured it into the bowl Ed had left out and began to eat.

It was only after Oswald had finished the entire thermos and cleaned it and the bowl out that Ed came home, carrying rather more books than Oswald was used to seeing in his long slender hands.

‘Oh, you’re awake,’ he said, looking surprised. ‘Are you actually lucid now? You were starting to worry me a bit.’

‘What are you talking about?’ Oswald stared at him, perplexed.

‘Well,’ Ed looked down at his watch. ‘You’ve been a little out of it for a little over five days now. The fever was subsiding, so I thought it would be alright to leave you alone, since Miss Keane was a little busy today, and I’m happy to see I was right.’

‘Wait a minute, _five days_? I was out for _five days_?’ Oswald was at a complete loss. No wonder he’d needed to pee so badly.

‘Yes, you were starting to worry me,’ Ed set all the books down and went over to Oswald to feel his head. ‘Yes, much better. Did you eat?’

‘Yes, thank you,’ Oswald smiled up at him. ‘Where were you? Aren’t all of your classes in the morning?’

‘Yes, they are,’ Ed looked surprised that Oswald seemed to know so much about his schedule. ‘I told you I would take care of everything for you. That includes making sure you don’t fall behind in your classes. Here,’ he produced a notebook and handed it over. ‘I hope you’ll find these notes satisfactory. If not, I’ve spoken to your professors as well to make sure you would have resources to catch up.’

‘What?’ Oswald flipped open the notebook, revealing pages upon pages of meticulous notes for each of Oswald’s classes in Ed’s neat, looping writing. ‘Ed… this is… you did this for me?’

‘Of course,’ Ed looked away, embarrassed. ‘What are friends for?’

‘This goes beyond friendship, Ed. This is incredible. _Thank you_ ,’ Oswald tentatively reached out to hug him, almost startling when he once again felt a warmth reminiscent of his mother’s touch as Ed hugged him back. ‘Thank you,’ he repeated, pulling away. ‘I really don’t know what else I can say to, well, say thank you.’

‘You needn’t say a thing, Oswald,’ Ed reached out to touch his cheek. ‘Hmm, some of your colour should be coming back soon, not that you have much on a normal day,’ he smirked. ‘You really do look the part of a penguin.’

‘And just what is that supposed to mean?’ Oswald, offended, huffed and stepped away.

‘No offense was intended, Oswald,’ Ed frowned. ‘Simply remarking on the way your complexion plays off your usually dark wardrobe. It suits you and your name well.’

Oswald felt his cheeks burn, lending a little bit of pink to his sallow white complexion. ‘Uh, thank you? I’m not sure how else to respond to that, to be honest, my friend.’

Ed blinked, unsure how to respond himself. After a beat of silence, his phone rang, giving him something else to focus on. ‘Hello? Yes, thank you for returning my call. Lilies, yes, pink and white. As many as you can, she deserves nothing less. Thank you.’ He hung up, looking to Oswald, who was staring at him confusedly. ‘That was… the funeral parlour,’ he explained quietly. ‘They seem to have managed to pull everything together according to whatever specifications you were able to give me in your feverish state. Lilies, her favourite, to be buried in a prime location under a beautiful willow tree, the service to be held in the late afternoon, nearing sunset, which she loved.’

Oswald gaped at Ed, not remembering ever telling Ed anything about his mother over the past five days. He couldn’t believe Ed had managed to get every detail right. He was completely lost for words; no one had ever done anything kind for him, and certainly not such a number of kind things. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, doing his best to choose the right words to tell Ed just how grateful he was, but he couldn’t seem to find any words at all.

‘No need to worry, Oswald, everything’s been taken care of,’ Ed told him seriously. ‘The funeral will be this weekend. I’ve already made sure to borrow a car so I can drive you myself. It won’t do to have you unable to get yourself to your mother’s side for her burial because you’re still recuperating. And… I would very much like to pay my respects, she has raised such a formidable son, I can only assume how amazing she was.’

Oswald couldn’t help himself, he launched himself forward to pull Ed into a bone-crushing hug. He could think of no other way to convey just how truly _thankful_ he was to Ed and all he done for him... and his mother. ‘Ed, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to find a way to repay you your kindness this week.’

‘Oswald,’ Ed gave him a squeeze in return, his voice thick with emotion at Oswald’s sudden affection. ‘I would do it again in an instant. I hope you know, that no matter what, you can always count on me.’

Oswald felt his breath hitch. Ed couldn’t have known, but that was something his mother had always told him, since he was old enough to talk. And he always had been able to count on her. He felt himself beginning to hope he could find that in Ed. He didn’t want to admit it, but he was not a one-man army; Oswald did need help from time to time, particularly a strong shoulder to cry on, or a strong pair of warm arms to squeeze the life back into him after a long, difficult day, letting him know that everything would turn out okay if he just persevered. He clutched at Ed almost desperately, clinging to that feeling of warmth and safety – he had no idea when he would ever feel it again.

Oswald pulled away after several long moments, smiling up at Ed, his eyes dangerously wet. ‘ _Thank you_ , Ed. Everything you’ve done for me has been incredible. I think… I think my mother would have loved you if she could have met you.’ It was the truth, Oswald thought. Gertrud Cobblepot would love anyone who showed so much kindness to her precious baby boy.

‘I would have been honoured to have had the chance,’ Ed answered quietly, a nervous smile splaying at his lips. ‘How are you feeling? Physically and emotionally?’

‘Well, I feel a lot better,’ Oswald said after a moment to think. ‘In both senses. But… I think I’ll need some time to… really move past this. My mother was a very special woman. I have… no idea how I’m going to go on without her.’

‘I’m not going to pretend it will be easy,’ Ed said slowly. ‘But… I hope I’ve been clear enough so you know I mean it – I will do whatever I can to make it as easy as it can possibly be.’ He looked over to the counter, eyes falling on the pill bottle. ‘Now, it’s time to take your medicine. And you should drink some more water, you aren’t nearly hydrated enough,’ Ed poked at Oswald’s flaking chapped lips.

‘Thanks,’ Oswald said, accepting the pill and large glass of water Ed handed to him. He seemed to be thanking the tall, enigmatic man a lot lately. It was odd to Oswald, but even as it had only been a few weeks since he’d begin paying closer attention to his geeky roommate, he couldn’t imagine his life without Ed in it anymore. How firmly Ed’s kindness had cemented him as a fixture in Oswald’s life and… in his heart. It was a shock to him to admit it, but few people had made such an impact in Oswald’s life, truly, he had only ever felt love for his mother and father. He had never found any sort of friendship or affection in himself for anyone else. He had once thought he might feel something for his stepmother and stepsiblings, but of course, they had proven to be quite the nasty bunch. But, even as Oswald realised just how much Ed had come to mean to him, he had no idea what to do with that information.

‘I have to say, you certainly look a lot better,’ Ed remarked, taking the empty glass from Oswald and setting it down on the counter. ‘Do you feel well enough to take a walk outside for a minute? I think some fresh air would do you some good.’

‘I – I think so,’ Oswald said, taken aback at the sudden suggestion. Had he somehow made Ed uncomfortable? So much so that he wanted Oswald to leave?

‘Good, I want to show you something,’ Ed’s smile was bright, answering Oswald’s unasked question. Ed seemed… happy to have made Oswald feel better. Oswald tentatively smiled back, genuinely surprised that his mouth still new how to make the gesture after so much pain this week.

Oswald dressed as quickly as his aching body allowed him, allowing Ed to bundle him in a thick wool sweater when he tutted that he wouldn’t be letting Oswald go and make himself sick again, and allowed Ed to lead him out of the dormitory and into the bright sunlight.

‘Hold on,’ Ed moved behind Oswald and covered his eyes with his hands. ‘I want you to take it all in at once.’

‘We look ridiculous,’ Oswald protested as they walked awkwardly and slowly across the courtyard towards wherever Ed was taking him. ‘People are probably staring.’

‘Oh, who cares what they think?’ Ed said airily, pushing on. ‘Besides, there aren’t many people out right now. There’s some event going on at the pub. Most of the students are over there.’

‘Oh, right, Barbara’s midterm madness thing,’ Oswald recalled her telling him about it. He couldn’t be sure whether or not he had promised to make an appearance.

‘Don’t worry, she knows you’re under the weather and won’t be attending,’ Ed guessed at Oswald’s thoughts. ‘You’re safe from her wrath. She even helped me keep an eye on you this week. She can be sweet when she wants to.’

‘Yeah, but more often than not she’s a real pain,’ Oswald smirked. ‘Where are we going, Ed?’

‘Right here,’ Ed eased him to a stop. ‘Are you ready?’

‘I think so? What are you trying to show me?’

‘Well, it’s better for you to see,’ Ed removed his hands from Oswald’s eyes and allowed him to blink blearily into the sunlight.

Oswald’s eyes fell on the rows of pink, purple, and white lilies, forming a beautiful checkered pattern in the plot Ed had been eyeing for the botany department’s garden. A small stone plaque lay in the manicured grass in front of the flowers, its fresh engraving proudly boasting: _Gertrud’s Garden – Inspired by a mother’s love_. Oswald’s mouth felt suddenly dry and his eyes suddenly very wet. He stared at the plaque, then up at Ed, and then back to the plaque, unsure how to get his mouth to work again. He didn’t realise he was crying until Ed put a firm arm around his shoulders, looking at him concernedly.

‘I’m sorry, should I not have?’ he asked, his eyes pained as he watched Oswald break down in front of him.

Oswald shook his head furiously, unable to form the words just to tell Ed how much this truly meant to him. The garden was _perfect_. His mother would have adored it. The perfect flowers, the perfect colours, the perfect engraving – Ed was a true genius. Oswald had no idea how he did it; _somehow,_ he knew just what Oswald wanted and needed, even when he had no idea himself. He turned to Ed and hugged him again, sinking into that feeling of warmth and affection he believed he could very much get used to, hiding his teary face in Ed’s shoulder until he could calm himself down enough to feel coherent enough to get his point across.

‘Ed, this is the most perfect thing anyone could have done for her,’ he sniffled, still not willing to let go of the warmth and comfort of Ed’s embrace. ‘The flowers are incredible – she would have loved this garden. How – how did you know?’

‘When you were telling me about her and you mentioned how much she loved lilies, I thought I might see how the botany department thought about using lilies in their grounds beautification project,’ Ed shrugged. ‘They were very enthusiastic about honouring your mother, Oswald, once they found out why I was asking. Miss Keane even helped me get the plaque made.’

‘You never seem to stop surprising me, Ed,’ Oswald sniffled, burrowing his face into the soft wool of Ed’s sweater. ‘I don’t think I’ll ever be able to thank you enough.’

‘Your happiness is thanks enough,’ Ed patted his back comfortingly. ‘I hope that I’ve at least been helping you through this terrible time, Oswald.’

‘You _have_ ,’ Oswald pulled away to look up at Ed seriously. ‘Ed, you’ve been incredible. I – I really don’t know what to say,’ he pulled Ed into another hug, not knowing how else to convey just how much his tall, riddle-loving roommate had come to mean to him.

After another long moment, he released Ed and turned back towards the garden, taking in the beautiful sight and scent of the lilies. His mother truly would have loved it, just as he knew she would have adored Ed once she had seen everything he did for Oswald. Oswald looked sideways at Ed, who stood serenely beside him, staring at the flowers with a small smile playing at his lips. Oswald truly had no idea how he would have survived the past week without Ed at his side. He would be eternally grateful to whatever force in the universe had brought Ed into his life – he was certainly quite impressed with the school’s ability to create agreeable roommate pairings, at any rate. Despite the absolute agony that gripped at him whenever his thoughts strayed to his mother, Oswald knew he would make it through, as long as Ed was by his side.


	6. Chapter 6

** Chapter Six **

 

Saturday morning dawned bright and sunny upon Oswald, who awoke to the sound of dishes clattering. For a moment, he was able to convince himself that the past week had all been just a terrible nightmare and that he was simply visiting his mother, who was currently busy in the kitchen making what smelled like delicious pancakes.

Of course, reality dawned on him soon enough and he sat up, looking around. He was in his bedroom in the massive mansion on the outskirts of town that he had inherited from his father. He had moved his mother in shortly before going off to school, wanting her to be comfortable in his absence. And a fat load of good comfort had done for her, Oswald thought bitterly. How had he allowed himself to leave her side? He heard the clattering of dishes again, pulling him out of his self-recrimination, and he slid out of bed, curious.

He found Ed in the kitchen, expertly cooking up a stack of blueberry pancakes. He looked up when he heard Oswald shuffle sleepily in.

‘I hope you don’t mind my deciding to venture into your kitchen, Oswald, but I thought you might need some breakfast this morning before… today.’ Ed flipped the last pancake onto a plate and pushed it towards Oswald. ‘Please, eat something.’

‘Thank you, Ed,’ Oswald took a bite. It was delicious, despite the dryness of his mouth as he thought about the day ahead of him. He eyed the dark grey shirt Ed wore with a dark green tie. Both appeared to be slightly too large for his lean, lanky frame. Still, Oswald could admire the elegant effect they had on his best friend. ‘I must say Ed, you really are looking the dapper fellow today.’

Ed’s lips twitched as though he wanted to smile but were working to subdue it. ‘No less for your mother, Oswald. I only wish I’d thought to have it tailored beforehand.’

‘I should take you to my usual boutique tomorrow before we head back to school,’ Oswald smiled fondly up at Ed. He knew the husband and wife duo in his favourite boutique could work wonders with Ed’s frame – Oswald was already mentally designing the perfect look in his mind. ‘Maggie and Gunther King will make some absolute magic happen.’

‘If you feel up to it, I’ll follow wherever you want to go,’ Ed nodded, sitting down next to Oswald with his own plate of pancakes. ‘Is there anything you need me to do for you today? Name it, I’ll do it.’

‘You’ve done more than enough, Ed, really, _thank you_. Having you here has made this so much more bearable. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to put to words what it means to me that you’ve done all this for me.’

‘I’d do it again in a heartbeat. You’re my best friend,’ Ed paused for a moment to take a large gulp of his tea. ‘I hope you know, Oswald, I’d do anything for you.’

Oswald didn’t know what else to do but to pull Ed into a tight hug, snuggling into Ed’s shoulder. Ed couldn’t have known this either, but that was also something his mother had always said to him. He didn’t ever think it was possible to find a good a person as his mother, and yet here Ed sat before him.

After several moments, Ed pulled away, his expression soft, caring, but sombre. ‘Eat something, Oswald. Then we’ll need to get you dressed. I’ll take care of the rest.’

‘I honestly don’t know what I would do without you, Ed,’ Oswald turned back to the pancakes, if only for something else to focus on than the thudding of his heart.

‘You’re stronger than anyone else I know; you would be fine,’ Ed got started on the dishes. ‘But I’m happy to have been of service.’

‘More than,’ Oswald finished off his breakfast and looked up at Ed seriously. ‘You have been the most amazing friend to me. I’ve never actually _wanted_ a friend before I really got to know you, Ed. Now I just wonder what I was thinking. I can’t imagine my life without you in it.’

‘Me neither,’ Ed smiled and took Oswald’s plate to the sink. ‘I’ll take care of all this. You just focus on getting yourself ready.’

Oswald obediently shuffled off to his room to get dressed, still barely believing someone like Ed, someone so caring, nurturing even, had come into his life just as he needed him most. Of course, he thought to himself bitterly, he would have forged this friendship a great deal sooner had he been less concerned with his own self interests and actually taken the time to speak to his roommate once in a while. He had not been a very good friend to Ed, and really, Ed deserved so much more than Oswald had given him to date. Oswald resolved to change that immediately.

-

It was all surreal to Oswald. The funeral parlour. The pristine arrangements of lilies. The odd, almost medical smell that clung to the air. None of it was particularly _real_ to Oswald; at least until he laid eyes on his mother, still and pale within the ornate casket at the front of the room. He stumbled forward clumsily, forgetting how to breathe, how to blink, how to function entirely. This was it – reality crashed down around Oswald deafeningly. Gertrud Copplebot really _was_ gone. Never again would she be there to soothe away all of Oswald’s pain, or smile at him when he brought her a new present, usually an old jazz record or a bouquet of pink lilies. Never again would she tell him how special he was, how destined for great things he was, how much she loved him. And never again could Oswald let her know how much she meant to him.

He broke down, sobbing, reaching out instinctively, looking for Ed. But of course, he wasn’t here yet; Ed had made sure Oswald was comfortable sitting in the front hall before bustling off to find the funeral director to ensure all the details were perfect. Oswald admired the man’s attention to detail, but right now, he simply wished Ed could let it go for a moment to just be here for him to lean on. With a shaking, clammy hand, Oswald reached out to caress his mother’s cold cheek, tears streaming down his cheeks, his vision blurry and faltering as he sobbed. ‘You would have loved him, mother. Ed is _incredible_.’

Oswald felt a gentle hand on his shoulder and he whirled around, thinking Ed had finished with the director and come to find him. But as he blinked furiously, trying to regain a portion of his vision, a very different silhouette came into view.

‘Fish?’

‘Oswald,’ she said quietly, her eyes filled with pity. ‘I’m so sorry. She meant a great deal to you. And I’ll be damned if she didn’t raise the most cunning, strong little Penguin I’ve ever met.’

‘You’re back?’ Oswald stammered, staring at her in surprise. Fish Mooney had graduated the year before Oswald had begun school, but still she had allowed this little high school boy help her out on her less shady business dealings. It was from her that he’d learned much of what he needed to run his university empire. Fish Mooney was a woman not to be trifled with. She was fierce as a tiger and sharp as a tack – it was no wonder she had very quickly worked her way to the top of the criminal underworld of Gotham. Of course, that was the whole reason she’d left as well – you didn’t get to the top without making a few enemies, enemies who tried to kill you.

‘Only for the funeral,’ Fish shook her head. ‘I’ve got to get all the scum wiped out of the city before I can bear to set foot here again. But I couldn’t bear to leave you alone today. You’ve, well, really, you’ve been like a son to me, Oswald. Not just the tiny kid who held my umbrella for me in high school. And _look_ at you. You’re something else, little Penguin.’ She smiled brilliantly. ‘Am I right in thinking you gave your evil stepmother _exactly_ what she deserved?’

Oswald let out a watery chuckle. ‘ _Well_. I’d say she deserved worse, honestly. She was awful. But I’m not stupid enough to go admitting crimes to anyone who asks.’

‘That’s my boy,’ Fish pulled him into a fierce hug. ‘Chin up, little bird. It will be hard. Hell, some days it’ll feel _impossible_. But you will get through this, and when you do, hell, you might rival me in hardiness.’

‘I’m not sure anyone could compare to you, Fish,’ Oswald hugged her back, feeling comfort in her motherly embrace. Fish had always been there for him, even when she hadn’t always been the kindest mentor – he was grateful she had decided to come today. ‘ _Thank you_ for coming, it means a lot.’

‘I wouldn’t miss it,’ Fish smiled. She smoothed his hair back and patted his cheek. ‘Are you going to be OK if I go sit down, maybe somewhere less noticeable? I’d prefer not to be seen… but if you need me…’

‘It’s alright, Fish,’ Oswald nodded. ‘I’ll be fine. I’ve got someone here with me who’s been helping me through all this, who actually planned all this while I couldn’t.’

‘Then I’m glad that someone is in your life,’ Fish pressed a kiss to his forehead and sauntered off towards the back corner of the room, where she was at least out of immediate sight should one of her enemies decide to come pay their respects. Oswald looked around once she left, wondering just where Ed had gotten to.

‘Who was that?’ Ed seemed to have materialised at his right shoulder, scaring Oswald into a little jump. ‘Sorry, Oswald. How… how are you holding up? I had hoped to be with you when you first came in, but the director is really quite the chatty fellow. Kept trying to offer me a job by the end of it.’

‘Why shouldn’t he? You’re a genius.’ Oswald smiled up at him. ‘I had hoped you would be with me too, but… I couldn’t wait any longer once I caught a glimpse through the door. I just, none of this felt real until that moment. It all came crashing down in an instant.’

‘Then I’m sorry I wasn’t here for you,’ Ed frowned. He looked down at Gertrud. ‘She’s beautiful. I can tell you’re her son, Oswald. I’m so sorry she was taken from you so soon.’

Oswald said nothing, opting instead to simply lay his head against Ed’s shoulder, crying quietly. Ed, thinking of nothing else to do, just stood there, occasionally stroking a soothing circle on Oswald’s back or arm, unsure what he could possibly do to alleviate Oswald’s pain even a little.

His thoughts strayed to the woman lingering in the back of the room, who had been so affectionate towards Oswald. Who was she? And more importantly, who was she to Oswald? But, now was not the time to question Oswald. Now was simply the time for him to be here for him to quite literally lean on. Yearning to do _anything_ to make Oswald feel even slightly better, he brought his arms up and around him, allowing Oswald to better cry into his shoulder, helping to support him on his shaky legs.

After what felt both like a mere moment and an eternity, the funeral director entered, ready to start the service. Ed led Oswald to a chair in the front row, sitting next to him, putting a hand to Oswald’s back to rub soothing circles there as Oswald continue to cry. He had never imagined the notorious king of the campus would come to mean so much to him, but now, Ed found himself willing to do anything just to see Oswald smile again, or at least to see him calm again. There likely wasn’t a single thing he could say to make it better to begin with. Oswald had lost the single most important person in his life, and it had suddenly become very real for him. Ed was honestly surprised Oswald had held up as well as he had. He could only hope that his presence was at least as helpful as it could be.

As the funeral director began the service sombrely, Oswald leaned into Ed, calming slightly as he did so and Ed felt himself calm down a little as well. Oswald had come to mean so very much to him, and as he held him there during the most difficult day of his life, Ed thought that maybe, just maybe, he had come to mean something to Oswald in turn.

-

The burial went uneventfully, something Ed was extremely grateful for. He had ensured that a beautiful arrangement of white and pink lilies had been there for Oswald to place on the gravestone. Once everything had settled, Oswald had received the condolences of everyone who had attended, and everyone else had left, Ed handed the arrangement over to Oswald, leading him back to the fresh grave.

Oswald placed the lilies on the grave, choking back a sob. He stood there, hand on the gravestone, as though having a silent conversation with his mother. Ed could not even begin to imagine what was going through his mind.

After several moments, Ed was startled by the feeling of a hand sliding into his own and he looked down to see Oswald’s hand closing around his palm. Ed smiled softly and gave a comforting squeeze, happy to be there for his best friend. Oswald looked sideways up at Ed and smiled slightly through the tears. ‘Thank you, Ed. I wouldn’t have made it through the day without you. Seeing my mother… it was all too much. I would have fallen completely apart if not for you.’

‘You seemed to be holding up on your own,’ Ed said after a moment, his thoughts straying sourly back to the woman he had seen with Oswald. _Who was she?_ And yet the time really didn’t seem right to ask. He noticed how Oswald’s face fell and backtracked, not wanting the overwhelming sadness to consume his friend once again. ‘But I’m glad to have been there for you.’

‘The sun’s going down,’ Oswald commented quietly, turning to the west, trying his best to wipe away the tears. Ed pulled out a tissue and helped him wipe the streaks from his cheeks. Once the tears were dried, Ed stowed the tissue and surprised Oswald for the second time that day by pulling him into a warm hug, releasing Oswald’s hand to instead rub a series of soothing circles into Oswald’s back before pulling away and turning them both to face the sunset, keeping a friendly arm around Oswald.

‘The sunset is certainly beautiful,’ Ed noted quietly after a few moments of quietly looking up at the sky. ‘Your mother had incredible taste, Oswald.’

‘She really did,’ Oswald agreed, laying his head gently onto Ed’s shoulder, taking great comfort in his best friend’s presence beside him. ‘She would have _adored_ you, Ed. And my mother was a saint with the most sophisticated taste in people I’ve ever seen.’

Ed smiled to himself, leaning his head down on top of Oswald’s, happy to have been a source of comfort for his friend on what had to have been the most difficult day of his life. Still hardly able to believe that the King of Gotham University, and Ed had no trouble believing he would one day be the King of Gotham in its entirety, had accepted his friendship so readily. He had always assumed Oswald would be more guarded and frankly standoffish than he was. Sure, Oswald had been closed off in the beginning, seeming more content to completely avoid Ed rather than even acknowledge he had a roommate at all, but as time went on, and almost exponentially in the past few weeks, Oswald had truly opened himself up, and Ed was still just floored every time he thought about how kind he was to him every day. Even now, going through this horrible time, Oswald was taking the time to thank him and let him know that he meant a lot to him. Ed was incredibly grateful Oswald had been willing to trust him enough to be his friend. Ed would do whatever he could to make his friend happy.


	7. Chapter 7

** Chapter 7 **

The next morning dawned on Oswald with no comforting delusions. The funeral was still very much fresh in his mind – the loss of his mother weighing heavily on him. And yet, he felt an odd sort of serenity had settled over him after the funeral; Oswald figured this must be closure. He thought he would have been used to grief and loss by now, what with his father’s death not so long ago – but he had hardly been as close to his father as he had been with his mother. His father had only entered his life midway through his teens, hardly a fixture in Oswald’s more formative years. And yet Oswald had very much loved him, despite his having married a veritable witch and adopted her evil flying monkeys for children. His death had hit Oswald hard just as he was graduating high school – not to mention the investigation that had followed his step-mother’s _unfortunate_ death shortly after that. Oswald had hoped his first year of university would be a welcome relief for both him and his mother – obviously he had been sorely mistaken in that dream.

Oswald sat up in his bed and rubbed his eyes, sore and dry from all the crying he had done yesterday and sighed. He didn’t have the first clue what to do with himself. What did one do the day after they buried the dearest person in their life? He fell back into the pillows and closed his eyes; maybe he would just lie there and sleep the rest of the day away. And then the next day. And the next.

A sharp knock at the door jolted his eyes back open. ‘Oswald?’ Ed’s voice filtred through the heavy wooden door. ‘Are you awake? Can I come in?’

‘Yes,’ Oswald replied weakly, not making a single effort to even sit back up in his bed. What did he care if Ed thought he was useless and lazy? Ed had seen him passing out from fever and probably heard a great number of incoherent ramblings from him while he had been in his delirious state. Ed had seen him at his worst; why try and pretend he wasn’t still stuck at rock bottom?

The door opened and Ed stepped in, carrying a muffin and a cup of tea. He smiled tentatively at Oswald, moving forward to place the plated muffin and tea on the bedside table before sitting down on the side of the bed to look down at Oswald. ‘How are you holding up?’

‘I don’t know,’ Oswald answered truthfully with a shrug, looking up at Ed, still confused by the look of care and affection he found in those deep and luxurious brown eyes. ‘How should I be holding up? How should I be after burying the one person who meant the world to me?’

Ed’s expression was sympathetic, something that ordinarily would have annoyed Oswald – he hated when people pitied him – but instead he felt nothing more than an odd sense of warmth. Perhaps he was still feverish? Ed reached out to feel his forehead, as though wondering that same thing.

‘Hmm. You _are_ still a bit warm. Have you been taking your antibiotics?’ he eyed the small pill bottle on Oswald’s bedside table carefully. ‘I know you probably don’t see the point right now, fully understandably, but you _need_ to take care of yourself.’

‘Hmph,’ Oswald closed his eyes again and rolled over under the covers so that he was facing away from Ed. ‘What’s the point? Who cares what I do?’

‘I do,’ Ed said quietly, looking down at Oswald’s stiff and resistive figure sadly. ‘Your mother would. What would she say if she could see you like this now?’

Oswald went very still for a moment before turning over to look at Ed again. ‘I…’ he sighed heavily. ‘She would tell me _“Oswald, all seems dark and awful now, but you are your own sunshine. You will brighten up your own life – you just need to smile and all your troubles will go away.”_ But she’s not here, is she, Ed? What am I supposed to do now?’

‘Just what she told you,’ Ed told him gently. ‘You’re _strong_ , Oswald. I’ve seen that for myself, in abundance, actually. You _will_ get through this, and you will come out of it stronger than ever. Your mother gave you that strength, Oswald; it would be an insult to her memory to let it go to waste the second she’s gone.’

‘You seem to know a lot about this whole process,’ Oswald sat up and eyed his friend closely. ‘Do you have personal experience… with any of this?’

Ed shrugged. ‘My mother died while I was still in middle school. It hit me pretty hard, for sure. But she left me with a stern speech about keeping my chin up and not letting anything or anyone keep me from my own happiness. She really kept me from wallowing when she was alive, who was I to undo all her hard work when she wasn’t there to do if for me anymore?’

‘Oh Ed, I’m so sorry,’ Oswald felt silly for lashing out at someone who very well understood the hell he was going through. ‘You must think I’m a useless, whiny little child right now.’

‘Not in the slightest, Oswald,’ Ed patted his shoulder gently before reaching out for the tea and handing it to Oswald. ‘I never said I didn’t take the time to be sad and miss her. That’s natural, I’m not heartless,’ he smiled wryly. ‘But I would hate for your grief to cloud your self-worth. You need to remember yourself too – everything you’ve worked for, and everything you still could. I believe you do have the strength to get through this. I believe in _you_ Oswald, even when you don’t believe in yourself.’

Oswald had no idea what to say to that. Once again, Ed had unknowingly quoted Oswald’s mother in trying to comfort him. Once again, Oswald had found himself with an odd, unidentifiable feeling bubbling somewhere between his chest and the pit of his stomach. The only thing he could think to do was put the tea back onto the bedside table and lean forward, wrapping his arms around Ed’s shoulders, hoping to convey just how thankful he was for his help, his support, his very _presence_ in the past few days through that squeeze alone. He felt Ed’s chin lean onto his shoulder as he returned the hug and Oswald thought perhaps he had succeeded in letting Ed know just how much he meant to him.

Ed pulled back after a time with a soft smile on his face. ‘I hope I’ve helped you to feel slightly better, Oswald. Maybe better enough to eat something? You’re still recovering from an infection, remember that. Your body needs strength to heal.’

Oswald nodded and obediently picked up the muffin and took a bite. It was one of the most delicious things he had ever tasted; blueberries melded seamlessly with what Oswald assumed was and oat and wheat blend that still felt rich and moist and just all-around sublime. He looked to Ed, wide-eyed. ‘Did you _bake_ this yourself?’ he asked after a hard swallow.

Ed nodded, looking self-conscious. ‘Do you like it? You mentioned blueberries were your favourite. I hope I didn’t get too carried away with my little theme.’

‘This is _amazing_ ,’ Oswald took another bite, almost forgetting all of his troubles for the moment as the flavours washed over him blissfully. ‘Ed, you are truly gifted. Not only are you a genius in school, it seems you’re a genius in the kitchen too.’

Ed looked immensely pleased, the tips of his ears going red under Oswald’s gaze. ‘I’m glad you like it. I really just want to make sure you take care of yourself. Of course, I’m here to help with the caring, well, if that makes any sense.’

‘I think it does,’ Oswald said thoughtfully after a moment’s pause. He flung the covers off. ‘Let’s go out today. You and my mother would both be after me for wallowing around all day, wouldn’t you? I think getting out of the house for a few hours might be just what I need to take my mind out of its cycle of self pity.’

‘Only if you feel up to it, emotionally _and_ physically,’ Ed stood up, allowing Oswald to climb out of bed. ‘Grieving isn’t wallowing; I’d hate for you to force yourself to ignore your grief to try and make either of us feel better about how you’re coping.’

‘I think it will help,’ Oswald said slowly. ‘Besides,’ he smiled gently up at Ed. ‘If ever something is too much, I know I’ll be alright – I’ll have you with me.’

Ed looked surprised for a moment before smiling and nodding, his cheeks pink. ‘I’ll let you get dressed then. I’ll wait for you downstairs in the kitchen, alright?’

Oswald nodded and swallowed the last bit of muffin before turning to his closet, wondering what he should wear. He settled on what he considered a casual outfit, a neat pair of slacks and a shirt and sweater combination, gravitating towards the deep plum colour his mother and father had both often commented looked very smart on him. He donned the jacket that matched his trousers, checking his appearance in the full-length mirror on the closet door.

His hair looked horrendous. He bolted into the ensuite to try and comb it into some form of submission, grabbing his toothbrush in the other hand for further efficiency. Once he was satisfied with the state of both his teeth and hair, he checked his reflection one more time in the mirror, wondering if he shouldn’t do something about the redness of his nose and the dark circles under his eyes. He paused. He was certainly a man who cared very deeply about his outward appearance, whether or not he was a particularly handsome man notwithstanding, but why this sudden fascination with _perfection_? Was the turmoil in his life causing him to latch on to the few things he could still control? Or was there something else at play?

If Oswald were fully honest with himself, he was interested in having Ed see him at his best again. He was eternally grateful for all of the care Ed had shown him, and was fully comfortable knowing Ed had seen him at some of the absolute lowest points in his life, but Oswald was anxious to show Ed just what he was like when he was fully on top of his game. He puffed some powder onto his face to hopefully cover most of damage the past few days had done to his appearance, gave himself a final approval in the mirror and made his way out of his bedroom, grabbing his umbrella on the way.

He found Ed in the kitchen where he had said he would be, stowing the newly-cleaned muffin tin in the cupboard and covering the plate of freshly-baked muffins on the counter. He looked up when Oswald entered and smiled.

‘Wow, Oswald, purple is really your colour,’ he remarked, eyeing the sweater Oswald had picked out for precisely that reason. ‘I can only imagine how well a nice amethyst would bring out your eyes.’

Oswald felt his cheeks redden but was immensely pleased Ed had noticed. He eyed Ed’s outfit as well, one he had apparently changed into while waiting for Oswald. He wore grey plaid trousers that appeared to be slightly too wide for his legs, but with an extremely well-fitting rich emerald coloured wool sweater. Oswald admired the way the green really played off Ed’s pale skin and dark brown eyes. He smiled. ‘You look dapper yourself. You should wear green more often.’

Ed smiled and made his way over to Oswald, looking at him expectantly. ‘So. What did you have in mind today? Nothing too strenuous, I hope. Don’t overdo it to try and impress me with how resilient you are – I already know.’

Oswald smiled. ‘Nothing too fancy, Ed. But I do think I promised to take you to my favourite boutique in town while we were still here. I’d really like to. I think a little while with Mr. and Mrs. King will really help me take my mind off everything. And I think a day out without you having to dote on me will do you some good too.’

‘I don’t mind, Oswald, that’s what friends do,’ Ed led the way to the front door. ‘You would do the same for me in an instant too.’

‘Honestly Ed, in the beginning, probably not,’ Oswald sighed, stopping on the front step to look at Ed carefully. ‘I didn’t get to where I am by openly allowing myself to _care_ about people, you know? Truthfully, until I got to know you, I was perfectly happy to ignore you. How stupid was I? Not only are you the kindest most caring person I’ve ever met, you’re also smart, and just, well, _incredible_. I’ll probably forever beat myself up for not seeing it before.’

Ed shrugged. ‘I’m not perfect Oswald. I’ll admit I sort of latched on to you because you seemed to me to be the easiest chance I’d have at making a friend. I, well, haven’t had very many in my life.’

Oswald reached out to squeeze his shoulder fondly. ‘Well, it looks like we have a lot more in common than I first thought. It’s kind of like you were ready-made to be my best, well, only friend. I’m not one for silly things like fate or destiny, but this might be the closest I’ll ever come.’

Ed smiled before his attention was stolen by a sleek black sedan coming up the drive towards them. He turned to Oswald. ‘Are you expecting visitors?’

Oswald shook his head. ‘That’s my car, and my driver. I didn’t want to spend all day looking for parking in downtown Gotham; have you ever tried that? It’s a nightmare!’

Ed chuckled appreciatively, sliding into the back of the car next to Oswald, settling in as Oswald gave directions to the driver. He remained silent as the driver started off down the drive and towards the city, watching Oswald out of the corner of his eye. He saw a small frown develop on his lips, a stray tear making its way down his cheek before Oswald caught it, brushing it away surreptitiously. Ed launched into an explanation of which types of trees Oswald had growing on his property, explaining their various biological intricacies, as well as the literary meanings many of them had – all in an attempt to distract Oswald from whatever troubling thoughts were floating through his mind. He felt a wave of relief wash over him as it appeared to have worked, Oswald engaging in the conversation with a series of questions about the willows he was particularly fond of by the gates to the drive. Ed felt a warm sensation spreading across his chest as he watched the earnest expression on Oswald’s face as he listened to Ed’s answers. He almost paused before catching himself, taken aback by the sudden emotion washing over him. If he didn’t know any better, he would think he was falling in love. Well, Ed supposed, watching Oswald eye the willows with renewed admiration and barely suppressing a fond smile, what _did_ he know? He launched into an explanation about the symbolism of each colour rose at Oswald’s request, having just passed by a series of wild rose bushes, and made peace with the idea that he very likely did _not_ know any better after all.

 

-

 

Oswald was rather proud of himself as they were ushered into a secluded corner booth at the restaurant he and Ed had decided to stop into for dinner before returning home. He had only had a handful of moments that day when the grief and emotion were too much for him and he caught a few tears or an errant hiccough or two, hastily hiding away from Ed for these moments so as not to depend on him _too_ much. Of course, Ed _had_ noticed, observant as he was, and had been as supportive as ever. Oswald had no idea where he would be without him – probably wallowing alone in his bed, possibly dying from pneumonia all the while. He didn’t think he would ever find a way to repay Ed his kindness, but he felt he had made a start.

He had talked Ed into allowing him to purchase him a few outfits at the boutiques, most containing at least some shade of green or other. Oswald had to admit, he was quite taken with Ed in green – it was as if the colour were crafted solely for him to wear. He hoped Ed really did like them, and wasn’t merely placating him in agreeing with Oswald’s glowing assessments of them; he just wanted to make Ed happy in the only way he really new how: spoiling him.

He ordered them a nice red Bordeaux, noticing that Ed was eyeing a particularly delicious sounding roast, and thinking it would pair well with that. As he mentioned this, Ed launched into an explanation of just how right he was. Oswald felt himself sit taller with pride under Ed’s glowing praise, wondering at the way Ed always seemed to bring out the best in him, much like, his throat went tight for a moment, his mother had his entire life.

Oswald stared at Ed as he ordered for them when the waiter returned, taking in the confident air Ed adopted when speaking with strangers, something Oswald recognised as a defense mechanism he often employed himself. He wondered if Ed’s early life had been as filled with loneliness, self-loathing, and abuse as his had. Out of simple love for the man, he certainly hoped not, as nice as it would be to know _someone_ understood him.

Oswald paused. _Love?_ He looked at Ed some more, trying to see just what his heart and mind were both trying to tell him. He was unsure. Oswald didn’t have very many people he loved in his life. He certainly didn’t have very many people in his life who love him. But Ed seemed different, almost uncannily like his parents, and yet, so very like him as well. Oswald certainly did love spending time with Ed. He certainly did love the way Ed made him feel safe and appreciated. And yet – he had no idea what he was feeling, or if he was simply projecting love and affection onto the nearest possible target in his nearly-crippling grief. Oswald was hesitant to pin a label on his emotions until he himself could understand them, often finding his own emotions to be his greatest flaw. He didn’t want to get ahead of himself. Still, the warm feeling in his chest gnawed at him as Ed talked about the differences between alpaca and llama wool, still excited about the alpaca wool scarves he and Oswald had both gotten at the boutique. Oswald smiled. Yes, he probably did love this incorrigible nerd; the only thing Oswald needed to know now was what to do with that knowledge.


	8. Chapter 8

** Chapter 8 **

Love was a very odd thing. Oswald really didn’t know what to make of it. On one hand, he was still reeling from such a huge loss and yet, still he found himself with an inexplicable spring in his step as he made his way to class, doing his best to dodge the sympathetic gazes and comments from students around the campus. He didn’t think he had the emotional strength to deal with that right now – at least as long as Ed wasn’t at his side.

And he seemed to be at his side a lot more lately. Rather than spend his time alone in the library reading up interesting facts or creating riddles for himself, he opted to cite the facts he learned to Oswald, and throw him occasional riddles and brain teasers. In fact, Oswald had rather come to enjoy solving riddles with Ed. He strongly suspected Ed was only asking him easy ones in an effort to stroke his ego, which Oswald was perfectly fine with, given he could then at least maintain the illusion he was impressing Ed with his intelligence. He knew there was likely no danger of that though; Ed was a _genius_. It was possibly what Oswald loved most about him. Other than his amazing ability to always make Oswald feel better about whatever was bothering him, of course.

Oswald had no idea what he would have done without Ed. Knowing himself, he probably wouldn’t have made it out _quite_ as level-headed and healthy as he did had he faced those past few weeks by himself. He had found himself thinking this a lot lately; really, Ed had been a godsend. Just how he always knew exactly what Oswald needed at any given moment would likely forever remain a mystery, but Oswald was certainly not going to complain. He was, however, beginning to wonder if Ed didn’t return at least some measure of that same affection Oswald felt for him. It would surely explain the strange, almost compulsive need Ed had to keep Oswald as contented and healthy as possible. The very thought sent a happy shiver down Oswald’s spine. Ed returning his feelings would certainly make the conversation he knew they needed to have a more pleasant one for Oswald. He didn’t quite know what he would do in the event that Ed did not feel the same way as Oswald, which made the task of confessing his feelings to Ed all the more daunting.

Oswald had briefly considered not confessing his love for Ed at all, but then Oswald knew he would be insulting his mother’s memory in doing that. His mother had always told him to run to love when he found it, and never let anything, not even his own fear, hold him back. Besides, the more time Oswald spent with Ed, the more he was coming to believe his love was more than likely to be well-received.

Oswald looked around, wondering where Ed was right now. It was odd, really, for him to have not caught up to Oswald in the cafeteria, where they always came for the surprisingly delicious (by school cafeteria standards anyways) pizza they served every Thursday. He had sent Ed several text messages, that had so far gone unanswered, also very unlike Ed. Oswald was beginning to worry about him. He wondered if he shouldn’t go back to the dorm to see if Ed were there. If he weren’t he would need to look for him; something wasn’t right.

He was about to stand up when Ed came rushing in, closely followed by an older man, Ed looking horrified, the man looking slightly annoyed. Ed spied Oswald and made a beeline towards him, already apologising profusely for being late when he reached the table.

‘Oswald, I’m so sorry I’m late,’ Ed said, looking abashed. ‘My dad just decided to make a surprise visit today, so I’ve been a bit busy.’ He indicated the man behind him, and as Oswald looked at him more closely, he began to see a striking resemblance between him and Ed. ‘Dad, this is Oswald, my roommate. Remember, I told you about him?’

‘Oh yes, Oswald,’ Mr. Nygma nodded at him before holding out his hand for Oswald to shake.

Oswald stood, shaking his hand warmly. ‘It’s very nice to meet you, Mr. Nygma. I can certainly see where Ed gets his charm and good looks.’

Mr. Nygma’s expression soured and Ed frowned, looking pained. Still, Mr. Nygma recovered quickly, his face settling back into a neutral expression. ‘Oswald, I’m very sorry about your mother. Ed told me all about your loss. I hope you’re coping alright.’

‘Oh, I’m doing alright, largely thanks to your son,’ Oswald nodded with a small smile. ‘Ed’s been a godsend in the past few weeks. I don’t know what I would have done without him. You should be very proud, Mr. Nygma. Your son is an incredibly kind and selfless man.’

‘I’ve tried to raise him right,’ Mr. Nygma said, his expression stern. ‘I’m hoping one day he makes me proud and truly follows the path I’ve tried to set for him.’

Oswald was thrown for a loop. Mr. Nygma did not seem at all like his father had been. While Oswald’s father had always been kind and supportive, regardless of his new wife’s nastier comments about her husband’s “shameful oddball lovechild”, it appeared Ed’s father was of the sterner, more judgemental variety. Oswald wondered just what Mr. Nygma had planned for his son’s future, and wondered if Ed had any intention of following those plans. And, Oswald had to admit, he wondered how he fit into those plans for Ed.

Ed looked pained for a moment before managing his expression into a friendly smile that Oswald knew for a fact was insincere. ‘Well dad, what would you like to do? Oswald and I usually get the cafeteria’s less terrible than usual pizza on Thursdays, but it’s not every day you’re visiting.’

‘Why don’t I take us all out to dinner?’ Oswald offered kindly, eager to try and make an excellent impression on Ed’s father. ‘There’s a wonderful restaurant just inside town, not too far from here. I know the owner, I’m sure he’d love to have a table ready for us.’

Ed looked alarmed, but Mr. Nygma smiled. ‘Wow, Ed, you never told me your roommate was one of those _fancy_ rich boys.’

‘Oswald is nothing like those other bratty rich boys,’ Ed offered quietly. ‘He’s kind and generous, and really dad, the best friend I ever could have asked for. He works hard and never expects anything to be handed to him. I think you’ll really like Oswald.’

Mr. Nygma gave his son and Oswald a cold smile. ‘I’m sure I will, Edward. You wouldn’t disappoint me by making sub-par friends, would you? We can’t have you derailing your life because you’ve chosen to associate with people that might make you deviate from the right path.’

‘Of course not, dad,’ Ed sounded exhausted. ‘I’ll just go put my books back in our room and then we can go do whatever you’d like.’

‘Let’s all go,’ Mr. Nygma said firmly. ‘I’m only stopping in today, and I want to take the time to get to know your friend while I’m here.’

Oswald smiled and followed Ed and his father out of the cafeteria, hoping he had made a good impression so far. The concerned look on Ed’s face when his father wasn’t looking at him didn’t help Oswald’s confidence at all. He wasn’t sure what it was, but he felt a vague uneasiness in Mr. Nygma’s presence. And, as Oswald watched his best friend closely, it seemed Ed felt it too. Oswald simply didn’t know why.

They made their way to the dormitories, with Mr. Nygma quizzing Oswald on his political science and business double major before declaring he thought Oswald was going to do alright for himself, provided he didn’t let any ‘distractions’ get in the way, whatever that meant. Oswald was rather beginning to get the impression that Mr. Nygma was one of those men who valued traditional masculinity above all else. Oswald wondered if perhaps this was what was making Ed so uncomfortable.

They made their way up the stairs, with Ed trailing slightly behind Oswald to ensure he got up the steps alright, all the while ensuring his father didn’t see him with his hand at the small of Oswald’s back. Oswald was beginning to understand just why Ed seemed so uneasy.

He knew there were a vast number of people in the world who took issue with men falling in love with other men. Oswald was beginning to suspect that Mr. Nygma was one of these men. It would make sense for Ed to not want his father to see him interacting with Oswald in his usual caring manner. Oswald had to suppress a smile at that thought. It seemed Ed truly did return his feelings. Now all Oswald had to do was wait for Mr. Nygma to leave so he and Ed could address whatever was brewing steadily between them. Oswald was insanely grateful he was only here for the rest of the day.

Mr. Nygma was first to reach their door, and he waited patiently for one of them to open it. Oswald obliged, thankful both he and Ed were extremely neat people; it wouldn’t do for Mr. Nygma to visit and see his son and his roommate living like slobs. Oswald walked in and set his bag down, not quite noticing what was off about their room at first. It wasn’t until he turned around again that he noticed the lovely blonde sitting on Ed’s bed, smiling up at his roommate expectantly.

‘Edward, darling, I was wondering where you’d gotten to,’ she said, her voice sweet and lyrical. And yet, Oswald instantly disliked her. He looked from her to Ed, who had a distinct look of a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car.

He recovered quickly, seeming to remember himself, and smiled warmly down at her. ‘Isabella. I’m so glad you’re here. It’s the perfect opportunity for you to meet my father.’

Mr. Nygma’s grin was bordering on manic as he enthusiastically rushed forward to pull the blonde into a hug, looking at his son with fierce pride. ‘I _knew_ you were hiding something from me son, I just didn’t expect it to be this beauty here. I’m so happy.’

‘I’m so pleased to finally meet you, Mr. Nygma,’ Isabella said smoothly, smiling at him with a row of very white, straight teeth. She almost looked like a movie star from the 1950s. Oswald grudgingly had to admit she was quite beautiful; but that still didn’t explain just what the hell she was doing here.

‘Please, doll, call me Charlie,’ Mr. Nygma smiled. ‘How long has he been hiding you away from me?’

‘Oh, since about the start of the semester,’ Isabella smiled coyly. ‘I helped Edward find a few books he needed to complete an assignment. I’m one of the assistant librarians on campus, you see. It helps pay for tuition and I really do love a good book. Your son has excellent taste.’

‘Yes,’ Mr. Nygma agreed, looking Isabella over with an approving expression. ‘He really does.’

Ed, rather than look pleased as a person receiving praise ought to, looked sour until his father turned his attention back to him and he needed to rearrange his expression. He gave another one of those false smiles Oswald had never seen before. ‘Shall we?’

‘Isabella, would you like to join us for dinner?’ Oswald asked politely. Still wondering just who the hell this woman was. He supposed he’d get a tad more information if she joined them. Plus, it might keep Mr. Nygma placated until he left. Then Oswald could find everything out from Ed directly.

Isabella beamed. ‘Oh you are just the sweetest, aren’t you? It’s really no wonder Edward speaks so highly of you, Mr. Cobblepot. I’m very glad he has you while I’m not around to take care of him.’

Oswald bristled momentarily when Isabella reached out to take Ed’s hand, planting a soft kiss to his cheek, before Oswald reminded himself that he had never before seen this woman around Ed at all. She obviously wasn’t a major part of his life if Oswald hadn’t met her yet. At least, Oswald certainly hoped that was the case.

He led the way out of the dormitories, calling his driver over on the way, still trying to wrap his mind around everything that was going on around him. A mere hour earlier he had been trying to figure out how best to broach the subject of his love for Ed. Now it was as though he had fallen into an entirely different dimension; one where he couldn’t understand a single thing that was happening. He just needed to keep consoling himself with the knowledge that this would all be over soon.

 

-

 

It was the strangest dinner Oswald had ever sat through, and he had attended several benefit dinners in Gotham city with his father. Gotham was not exactly known for benefit dinners ever happening smoothly or without some sort of criminal intervention.  Still, even then Oswald had been firmly confident he always knew what was happening, and what would happen next.

Ed had almost transformed into a completely different person. Not a single odd fact or brain teaser escaped him the entire length of the dinner, something Oswald had never seen before. He talked about his classes almost clinically, not with the usual earnest fervor Oswald was used to. He was really thrown; why was Ed behaving this way? Hiding how close they were was one thing, but completely changing his personality was another. Oswald felt a rising anxiety beginning to eat away at him. Perhaps this was the way Ed truly was. Perhaps it was he who didn’t know his friend in the slightest. That idea struck Oswald to his very core with pain. What if this really was Ed’s life? What if he had only been spending time with him out of pity and now it was time for him to return his attention to his admittedly beautiful girlfriend?

Since the moment Oswald had come to terms with his feelings for Ed, this was the first time he had felt anything other than tingly joy and excitement. He had to actively work to keep himself from jumping to conclusions. He could almost feel his heart breaking. Just as he thought he was going to lose complete control of his train of thought, he felt Ed’s thigh press against his. He looked up and Ed smiled at him reassuringly. Oswald felt his heart skip a beat; he was obviously overreacting. There was some sort of explanation here, he just hadn’t found it yet. He had to suppress a sigh as Mr. Nygma continued asking Isabella about herself; he couldn’t wait until this dinner was over.


	9. Chapter 9

** Chapter 9 **

Oswald’s mood was completely soured by the end of the evening. He was used to people being cold towards him, but he had become accustomed to people at least respecting his existence as a human being. Mr. Nygma did not seem very interested in acknowledging Oswald at all, seeming very happy to simply pretend he wasn’t a huge part of his son’s life, let alone a person who existed. And it wasn’t just the way Mr. Nygma treated him; Oswald didn’t like the way he seemed to undermine Ed every time Ed seemed to veer slightly away from the rigid image he had in his mind about his son. Oswald hated seeing the way Ed’s earnest expression morphed into a chastised one before returning to the closed-off one that had been on his face since he’d come to find Oswald in the cafeteria.

Oswald was beyond thankful when they dropped Mr. Nygma off at the airport to catch his overnight flight to Chicago, where he had business to attend to. It was as though complete calm settled over the car the moment he stepped out. Ed and Isabella went in with him to see him off, Oswald opting to stay out in the parking with his driver, stepping out of the car to stretch out his sore leg.

‘You alright, Mr. Penguin?’ Freida, Oswald’s personal favourite driver, asked him, a concerned expression on her freckled face. ‘You’ve been seeming upset this evening. Do you not like your friend’s family or something?’

‘I’m fine Freida, thank you, it’s just been a weird evening for me,’ Oswald shrugged, leaning on the side of the car with her. ‘Probably for Ed, too.’

‘I like him,’ Freida said quietly. ‘He was there for you when you needed a friend real bad. He took care of you and made sure you came out stronger than ever. That’s a real friend, Mr. Penguin. I hope he sticks around.’

‘Me too, Freida,’ Oswald smiled softly. ‘Ed is probably one of the best things in my life. I don’t know what I’d do without him.’

They cut their conversation short as Ed and Isabella returned, Ed looking far more relaxed than he had all evening. Ed smiled at Oswald, his closed-off expression fading away, revealing the earnest and expressive face Oswald knew and loved. He reached out to hug Oswald, almost sagging into him exhaustedly. ‘Oswald, _thank you_. You’ve been incredible this evening.’

‘I have?’ Oswald hugged him back, bewildered. ‘All I did was pay for dinner. That’s not exactly life-changing on any level.’

Ed pulled away and smiled down at Oswald, an odd expression on his face that Oswald couldn’t quite place. ‘Oswald, you’ve done so much more. You immediately knew how to act around my father. You immediately clued into and went along with my little ruse with Miss Isabella here, as well. That reminds me, how much did I owe you again?’ he looked up to Isabella, who smiled.

‘Not a cent, Edward, dear. Consider it a favour for my favourite library visitor. Honestly, I might just ask for a ride back to campus.’

‘Of course,’ Oswald said immediately, so pleased to finally have _some_ answers as to what was going on this evening. He now knew for certain that Isabella was not _actually_ Ed’s girlfriend, and he had to admit, he was incredibly relieved by that. Now all that was really left for him to know was _why_ Ed had requested her help.

‘You’re a sweetheart, aren’t you?’ Isabella smiled at him. ‘It’s no wonder Edward talks about you so much. You’re such a good friend to him.’

‘So you really do know each other from the library I take it?’ Oswald asked, allowing Isabella to take the front seat and sliding into the back with Ed.

‘Oh yes,’ Isabella settled in next to Freida and turned to look back at Oswald. ‘Edward is my favourite visitor. He’s so clever, and his riddles are just so funny. When he looked so upset this morning, _of course_ I offered to help him out. All he needed was me to pretend to be his girlfriend for his father to make him think his son is settling in alright here. Of course, he certainly doesn’t _need_ a girlfriend to prove he’s alright, but Edward tells me his father is very old-fashioned. So I offered to make an appearance and turn on the charm.’

‘And it worked beautifully, _thank you_ , Isabella,’ Ed smiled at her. ‘At least now I can go for a bit without my father griping about how he worries this “hippy dippy college will turn me into a nancy”. He’s not the most open-minded of men, for certain.’

‘Well,’ Isabella turned back towards the front as they neared the campus entrance. ‘I hope you do get to a point soon where you no longer need to lie to your father.’

Ed gave a noncommittal shrug as Freida pulled up to the gates of the residence. ‘We’ll see, won’t we? Anyways, thank you again, Isabella. That was actually sort of fun. Maybe I should take up acting.’

‘Oh Edward dear, you certainly have the looks for it,’ Isabella winked before sliding out of the car. ‘It’s been great with both of you. Thank you for dinner, Mr. Cobblepot. It was incredible.’

‘Not a problem at all,’ Oswald stepped out as well and shook her hand. ‘Thank _you_ for helping Ed out like you did. It was very kind of you.’

‘Oh, any time,’ Isabella smiled at Ed, who had come around the car to stand next to Oswald. She moved forward to hug him. ‘Who knows, maybe we could get a real dinner together sometime.’ With that, she sauntered off towards the library, leaving Ed to stare bemusedly, and Oswald to stare acidly after her.

Freida drove away, leaving them in the autumn’s early darkness. Oswald turned to Ed to ask him how he was feeling after such an odd evening, but stayed silent when confronted with that odd, unplaceable expression on Ed’s face again.

It was soft and open, Ed’s eyes looking at him warmly, but with a separate emotion Oswald had never seen there before. His lips were pulled into a small smile, and his cheeks appeared to be going pink as he made eye contact with Oswald. He reached out, Oswald thought for another hug, but instead brought his hand up to cup Oswald’s cheek, thumb resting gently on his chin. Oswald opened his mouth to ask what he was doing, but stilled when Ed leaned forward, slowly and cautiously bringing their faces together before pressing his lips gently to Oswald’s.

Oswald, bewildered for a second before his brain caught up with what was happening, leaned into Ed, barely believing this was happening. His hands came up to clutch at Ed’s jacket, not sure what else he could do to convey that this was all he had ever dreamed of. All too soon, Ed pulled away, looking down at Oswald carefully. He smiled. ‘Well, you’re not hitting me, so I’ll take that as a good sign.’

‘Why on earth would I be hitting you?’ Oswald was completely confused. ‘Ed, I _love_ you. Really, you’ve just given me the greatest gift of all.’

Ed smiled before leaning down to kiss him again, suppressing a chuckle when Oswald, still clutching his jacket, pulled him closer clumsily, almost knocking them both over. He pulled away after a moment and looked around. The campus was thankfully deserted, everyone still attending one of Barbara’s _Thirsty Thursday_ events. Still, this was a very intimate moment for him, and he would rather not share it with the entire school. He took Oswald’s hands into his own and smiled. He started off towards their dorm building, still holding one of Oswald’s hands in his own. As they neared the steps, he looked to Oswald seriously. ‘I was so concerned you wouldn’t understand why I had Isabella here today. And well, I’ll admit, there was a fear you wouldn’t return my feelings. But I love you, Oswald; and you’ve made me so happy in saying you love me too.’

Oswald smiled fondly. ‘ _Of course_ I do. How could I not? But as to your first point,’ he paused. ‘I’m not sure I completely understand. Am I to understand your father would not approve of me?’

Ed gave a wry smile as they neared the door to their room. ‘Well, it’s as simple as… he would very much approve of you if you happened to be a woman. As it is, not at all. He has some very dated views.’

‘That’s the impression I was getting, yes,’ Oswald frowned and led the way inside. ‘Ed, I don’t want to cause trouble for you with your father…’

‘Oswald, I don’t care what my father thinks,’ Ed pulled Oswald’s hand up to his lips and kissed the back of his hand. ‘ _I love you_. The only reason I’ve committed this deception is because I still need him to pay for my school. Once I’ve graduated, I will be perfectly content to never speak to him again. But until then, I will just have to keep up my charades.’

‘Ed, what if he finds out? He’ll disown you! I don’t want to be the reason your father leaves your life!’ Oswald was completely distraught. He loved Ed more than anything. He didn’t want to be the reason for any pain in his life, least of all the pain of losing a parent, even if just for personal reasons.

‘Oswald, he’s already left my life,’ Ed said quietly, looking at him seriously. ‘To be perfectly honest, I don’t think I’d ever classify him as having been a real part of my life at all. My mother raised me. When she died, my father and I basically just co-existed. We’re not family; there is no love there. _You_ are family to me, Oswald. Someday… someday I hope it becomes official.’

Oswald blinked, completely unsure how to respond. At least he knew Ed was serious, that was nice. He reached out to kiss him briefly, unsure just how to convey how truly happy he was. Ed had very quickly become his whole world; his heart felt it was about to burst it was so full of love for this man. As Ed pulled him into his arms, Oswald knew Ed felt the same. He couldn’t ask for anything more.


	10. Chapter 10

** Chapter 10 **

Oswald awoke to the sound of gentle humming, feeling firm and sure hands rubbing small circles in his back. He smiled and opened his eyes, looking up at Ed, who smiled back down at him.

‘Good morning,’ Ed said quietly. ‘How did you sleep?’

‘Incredibly well,’ Oswald snuggled closer, drinking in the warmth radiating off Ed. ‘You’re so warm. You know, I’m always cold at night, but not last night.’

Ed smiled, laughing slightly through his nose. ‘Happy to have been of service, Oswald. Are you ready to get up?’

Oswald snuggled even closer and closed his eyes again. ‘Not yet. I just wanna stay here and revel in the fact that this is actually real.’

Ed wrapped his arms around Oswald and pressed a kiss to his head, saying nothing and opting to instead simply lay there with Oswald cradled against him. He could understand Oswald’s incredulity; he was having some difficulty wrapping his mind around the fact that this was happening as well. It was as if all his dreams had come true overnight.

Oswald felt so safe and secure wrapped in Ed’s embrace. He didn’t think he would ever feel this loved again once he had learned of his mother’s death, and yet Ed had come into his life in time to pick up the pieces of his heart and put them back together, possibly even better than ever. Ed was so caring; Oswald thought his heart was about to burst every time he thought about it. Even just the night before, as Oswald was settling into bed and the weight of his loss, as it often did in the quiet of the night, weighed heavily on him, Ed had noticed and offered to do whatever Oswald needed to help him feel better. Even when Oswald had no idea what would possibly fix the ache in his heart, Ed had slid under the covers with him and held him close as he fell asleep. Oswald still had no idea what he possibly could have done to deserve him.

Ed resumed humming and Oswald finally recognised the tune as one his mother had always sang to him as a lullaby. He opened his eyes to look up at Ed curiously. ‘What are you humming?’

‘Oh, I’ve heard you singing it to yourself on a few occasions,’ Ed shrugged. ‘I assume it has some special meaning to you? Humming it seemed to bring you comfort while you were sick.’

Oswald smiled. ‘My mother used to sing it to me when I had trouble sleeping or if I had a really bad day. It was her favourite song; I suppose it became my favourite too. I’ll admit, hearing it again is very comforting.’

Ed smiled and brought a hand up to stroke Oswald’s cheek. ‘Well, it’s Friday. I don’t think either of us have any classes today. What would you like to do?’

Oswald sat up and looked down at him. He smiled when he saw the carefully arranged expression on Ed’s face. ‘You have something planned, don’t you?’

Ed smiled. ‘As I’m sure you know, _The Marriage of Figaro_ is being played at the theatre this weekend. Well, Isabella is apparently a big fan of the opera, and has tickets for each night. Sadly, she can’t go tonight, so she’s asked me if I can make use of the tickets.’

Oswald leaned over to press a peck to Ed’s lips. ‘And you, genius that you are, figure I of course love that opera.’ He smiled down at Ed. ‘Obviously we’ll go to dinner first. Oh goodness, is this a first date?’ Oswald felt an odd uprising of nerves and excitement.

Ed sat up next to him. ‘Well, I suppose _officially_ it is. But I’d maintain many of our dinners and outings count. What would you like to do until then?’

‘I’m sure we’ll think of something,’ Oswald smiled and stepped out of bed, looking at the bedside clock. ‘Oh wow, past eleven. This is really late for you. I’m sorry; I know you hate staying in bed too late.’

Ed shrugged and stood up as well, stretching out his long back luxuriously. ‘It’s not so bad, Oswald. I don’t think I’ll ever complain about spending time so close to you; especially not when it helps you be so comfortable.’

Oswald smiled. ‘You’re so sweet, Ed. I’m still trying to figure out just what I did to deserve you in my life.’ He walked around the bed to come and stand in front of him. ‘You’re amazing. I’ll be forever grateful for you being in my life. You’re the reason I’m still standing, Ed. For all I know, I’d be dead right now if not for you.’

Ed kissed his forehead lightly. ‘You give me too much credit and yourself not enough. You are _strong_ , Oswald. And I’ll repeat it until you believe it.’

Oswald wrapped his arms around Ed’s waist, leaning into his chest. If someone had told him mere months ago that he would survive the greatest tragedy in his life because of his roommate, he would have laughed them off the campus. Now he could barely remember what his life had been like without Ed as a constant presence in it. He wondered how else he could convey how much he loved him. He was admittedly fairly naïve in the ways of romance. He never dated before, and he’d never really thought to read up on any of the intricacies of relationships, let alone relationships between two men. He was sorely unprepared to deal with the torrent of feelings flowing through him every time he looked at Ed.

Ed smiled and laid his chin on top of Oswald’s head, wrapping his own arms around Oswald. He held him there until his bladder had finally had enough and demanded his attention. He pulled away and smiled down at Oswald. ‘What say we get ready and take care of everything we need to and meet back here this afternoon? The opera starts at seven, so let’s say we meet here at four?’

‘Sounds perfect,’ Oswald nodded. He was grateful Ed seemed to have things he needed to take care of before their date. Oswald had some studying to do.

 

-

 

Oswald had never entered the library for non research paper related reasons before. He really wasn’t sure where to begin. He was about to head into the human biology section when he felt a delicate hand on his shoulder.

‘Mr. Cobblepot, how nice to see you,’ Isabella smiled at him. ‘Can I help you find anything today? Political science, right? What’s your paper about?’

‘Oh, it’s for an elective course actually,’ Oswald lied quickly. ‘I’m, uh, doing a paper on human sexuality.’

‘Ah, the commonly looked down upon but truly fascinating world of human sexual psychology,’ Isabella nodded. ‘We don’t have very many books on it, I’m afraid. If you don’t find all you need in that section over there,’ she pointed to a shelf of books. ‘We do have the database search over there,’ she pointed to a dated-looking terminal sitting apart from the rest of the library’s computers. ‘That will let you search through most published articles.’ She saw another student signalling to her for help and she smiled. ‘Please let me know if you need any more help, Mr. Cobblepot. It will be my pleasure to help.’

Oswald did not find much helpful information in the section Isabella had pointed out to him. Only a mere few passages in some of the newer books mentioned homosexuality and only touched upon the reasons it may come about in the human brain. He didn’t need any stuffy old psychologists to tell him why he loved Ed. He needed some help on figuring out the mechanics of _showing_ Ed he loved him.

He slinked over to the biology section and began rifling through those books as well. He found slightly more relevant information here, but didn’t offer many answers to his plethora of questions. He sighed, cursing the American schooling system for not covering any of this in his abysmal sex education classes in high school.

He was set to give up when he found a pamphlet stuffed in between two textbooks about the reproductive system. A quick skim of its contents told him this is what he had been looking for. As he read more carefully, he felt his spirits fall; he was _woefully_ unprepared for any of that. First there was a need for supplies he had no idea how to go about getting, and then of course, he would need to physically and mentally prepare himself for some of these things. Oswald was now completely unsure. He had never before even _considered_ his own sexuality until this moment; he really wondered if he had any to speak of.

He thought about Ed and his stomach gave the familiar flip-flop it always made when he thought about him lately. He tried to picture himself and Ed in a more _intimate_ situation and was surprised by the rush of blood to his cheeks, and even more surprised by the rush of blood threatening to head southward. He shook his head. OK, _clearly_ he was a fully functioning male when it came down to it; he had simply needed to find the right person to get him working.

Oswald frowned. Now he just needed to figure out how to approach the subject with Ed. He sucked in a deep breath. With anyone else, Oswald knew he would embarrass himself completely. But he knew Ed was a patient and loving man; Oswald had no fears Ed would be anything but in _any_ situation. Oswald stuffed the pamphlet back in between the two books and hustled out of the library, glad Isabella did not see him on his way out. He knew his face was still entirely flushed. What he didn’t notice, however, was her watching him leave with a bemused expression on her face.

 

-

 

Oswald had taken _hours_ to get ready to meet with Ed. He wanted to look completely perfect for their first official date. He selected his smartest suit, pairing it with an amethyst brocade waistcoat, remembering what Ed had said about amethyst. He really hoped Ed would notice how the colour and pattern really worked together to bring out the blue of his eyes.

He made his way back to the dorm form the bathroom where he had been managing his hair to find Ed straightening his tie, and emerald one that went with the grey and green striped waistcoat Oswald had selected at the boutique. This, paired with the perfectly tailored suit, left Oswald speechless, his mouth popping open at the sight of just how incredibly handsome Ed looked in the ensemble. Oswald had seen pieces of it on, but never all together. This truly was a sight to behold.

‘Is something wrong?’ Ed asked, watching Oswald closely. ‘You look incredible, by the way. That brocade, especially in that colour, really brings out your eyes.’

Oswald felt himself blush, pleased Ed had noticed as he had planned. He paused for a moment, gathering himself in the face of Ed at his most handsome. ‘You look perfect, Ed. Green is truly your colour.’

‘You have good taste, Oswald,’ Ed smoothed the jacket down nervously.

Oswald looked him over and smiled. ‘I really do.’

Oswald led the way out of their room and down and out of the building. They located Freida and Oswald smiled, waving at her. She looked pleased to see them and stepped out from the car to open the door for them. ‘Afternoon, Mr. Penguin. Heading somewhere fancy, I see?’ she eyed their outfits appreciatively.

‘The opera,’ Oswald smiled at her. ‘Ed’s got his hands on some tickets for us.’

‘Well, well, well,’ Freida winked at Ed. ‘Pulling all the stops, then, are you? I’m glad. Well, let’s go. I presume you’re headed to dinner first? We’ll need to get you there so you have time to enjoy it before the show.’

‘You’re the best Freida,’ Oswald slid into the back of the car, waiting for Ed to slide in next to him. He noticed a confused look on his date’s face and frowned. ‘What’s the matter Ed?’

‘Nothing,’ Ed shook his head and smiled. ‘Your driver really cares about you.’

Oswald smiled. ‘Freida has been very good to me. She’s happy I have you in my life. She thinks you’re a good man. She’s right.’

He went silent as Freida opened the driver-side door and settled herself in. She smiled. ‘Where to, boss? I figure you’ve selected something like _Le Bouton_ near the theatre?’

‘Amazing guess, Freida, you’re right,’ Oswald laughed. ‘It’s like you’re psychic or something.’

‘I’ve just worked for you a long time, Mr. Penguin,’ she smiled at him in the rear-view mirror and started off down the drive leading away from campus. Oswald watched the buildings pass by and smiled. He had been looking forward to university for certain – he certainly wanted to expand his knowledge – but he had never imagined his life would change so much within his first semester. He definitely didn’t imagine he would meet anybody he would love like Ed. He had simply assumed he would remain his reserved, non-dating self, yet here he was on a date with Ed, and genuinely excited about it.

Ed looked at his expression and smiled. ‘You look happy, Oswald.’

Oswald smiled in return. ‘I am.’ He truly was. Despite all the misery he had gone through, Oswald had come out of it happy. He could barely believe his good fortune.

Freida drove them straight to the front of _Le Bouton_ , smiling at them as she stepped out to open the door for them. ‘Text me when you’re ready for me to bring you to the show, Mr. Penguin. I’ll be waiting.’

‘Thank you, Freida,’ Ed said to her, hoping to maintain the good impression he had made on her, given she seemed to be rather close to Oswald. She smiled at him and he felt the tension in his spine relax; it seemed she approved.

Oswald led the way into the restaurant and was greeted warmly by the hostess, a very pretty dark-haired girl with very high heels and a very short skirt; it seemed to Ed that Oswald was familiar with many of the restaurant owners around Gotham – something that seemed very useful to him in making all these last-minute reservations for them.

The hostess led them to a small, intimate table set up in the far corner of the restaurant, tucked away from the main bustle of the floor. Ed was impressed; it seemed she was bringing them to the nicest, quietest table in the restaurant, something he assumed was usually reserved for VIP customers. It appeared Oswald had some serious pull with the owners.

Oswald smiled and thanked the hostess. He then directed the smile at Ed, where it softened slightly into an expression Ed had never seen before. He felt himself blush under that gaze, wondering just what was going through Oswald’s mind as he looked at him.

The waiter appeared, and Ed waited for Oswald to select his meal before selecting his own so they could share a bottle of wine that would pair well with both. Oswald smiled at him again as the waiter left. ‘You waited for me to choose so you could pick something that would go with the same win as mine, didn’t you?’

‘I picked first last time,’ Ed shrugged. ‘Besides, you have excellent taste; it made perfect sense to let you choose.’

Oswald put his hand up on the table and took Ed’s in it. That expression Ed had never seen before was back on his face, warming Ed from head to toe, radiating from where their fingers intertwined. He knew in that moment that there was no going back; he was completely and irrevocably in love with Oswald Cobblepot.

The food arrived and they released their hands to eat, talking lightly about school and the opera they were about to see. Oswald felt an odd tingle in the pit of his stomach whenever he and Ed locked eyes. He had never felt anything like it before. All he knew was that he loved every second of it.

They finished their meal and Freida drove them over to the theatre. Oswald took great joy in watching the awe and happiness of Ed’s face as he looked around at the grandiose box they were seated in, looking down at the stage. As the show began, Oswald found himself having trouble actually paying attention to the opera he was so focused on Ed.

Seeing Ed happy was what brought Oswald the most satisfaction. He had so few people in his life left to care about; he was eternally grateful he had Ed. Oswald was beginning the see just how much he truly loved him; he couldn’t wait to show him.

The opera ended without Oswald paying attention to much of it. He had been far too focussed on Ed’s expressions and the way he held his hand halfway through the show and continued to hold it until the end. Every touch between them sent a spark straight to Oswald’s heart; he felt like he was short circuiting every time their eyes met, or their fingers touched, or Oswald just _thought_ about their eyes meeting or their fingers touching.

The ride home felt simultaneously far too long and far too short as Ed regaled his favourite scenes excitedly next to Oswald, who simply listened, smile growing along with Ed’s glee. Freida dropped them in front of their building and left with a cheery wave out the window, leaving Ed and Oswald alone in the darkness on the steps.

‘You’ve been very quiet this evening, Oswald,’ Ed noted, helping Oswald up the stairs with a firm arm snaked around his waist. ‘Is everything alright?’

‘More than, Ed,’ Oswald smiled at him. ‘I’m just so happy. I love seeing you happy. I love being able to spend time with you like this. I guess I just love you.’

Ed smiled and reached out to touch Oswald’s cheek lightly before leaning in to kiss him. This kiss felt different to Oswald; stronger, more insistent than before. As he wondered what had changed, he noticed Ed had manoeuvred them into their room and closed the door.

They kissed for a while until Oswald felt a reaction beginning to brew in Ed, pressing into him as Ed held him close. Oswald, seeing an opportunity, pulled away to look up at him, feeling his cheeks beginning to go red as he tried to carefully select his words. ‘Ed, I don’t know if you’ve thought much about, um, going farther, but… I think I might like to try it. Maybe just a few things. I know it takes more preparation for more serious stuff, but…’

Ed smiled and leaned in to kiss him again, hand reaching in between them to feel Oswald out. Oswald let out a strangled gasp at the feeling, not expecting everything to feel so strongly. Ed pulled back to remove his tie, unbuttoning the top few buttons on his shirt before getting to work on Oswald’s too. He pushed the stiff collar aside to press his lips to Oswald’s throat, sucking a bright red mark there and delighting in the strangled gasps the action elicited from Oswald. He continued for a while, until a wandering hand confirmed Oswald was ready for him to take it further.

His lips found Oswald’s again, hands working on Oswald’s belt and trousers, pulling them open before sinking down to his knees. He pulled Oswald free from his briefs and reached his tongue forward tentatively, taking in the taste and feel of Oswald and savouring the delicious sounds coming from Oswald. He felt Oswald’s knees beginning to buckle and pulled away for a second to look up. ‘We should sit you down. Are you alright?’

Oswald nodded, his breathing heavy. He allowed Ed to steer him towards his bed, sitting down heavily. ‘I just didn’t expect it to feel like that. It’s… so _amazing_.’

Ed smiled and kneeled in front of him again, taking hold and licking along his length again, sending a strong shiver down Oswald’s spine. He opened his mouth and closed his lips around the tip, giving an experimental suck, taking the jerk forward to mean he was on the right track. He moved his lips down, dragging them heavily along Oswald’s length, taking in as much as he could fit, before moving back again, listening to the sounds coming from Oswald to guide him in his motions.

It didn’t take long before he developed a proper rhythm that brought Oswald to completion. He swallowed hard, not enjoying, but not entirely disliking the salty-sweet taste, but happy to get the odd texture off his tongue. He smiled up at Oswald. ‘How was that?’

Oswald had no words, he merely leaned forward to kiss Ed, puzzling at the taste on his tongue. At least he knew what to expect. He stood up to force Ed down on the bed in his place. He loved Ed more than anything; he couldn’t wait to show him that. 


End file.
